Sept. 6 (UPI) — The former President of the United States, Donald Trump, faced defeat in his attempt to delay a civil trial related to business fraud allegations. Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron dismissed Trump’s arguments as “completely without merit,” refusing to grant a delay. The trial is scheduled to begin on October 2, with the judge maintaining the set date despite the request for postponement. This legal battle represents Trump’s first civil trial since leaving the White House, preceding a series of impending criminal trials connected to his endeavors to overturn the 2020 presidential election, hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and mishandling classified documents.
Trump’s civil trial arises from a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2022. The suit targets Trump, three of his children, and the Trump Organization, alleging an illicit scheme that involved inflating the value of assets to fraudulently accumulate $250 million. James aims not only to recover the alleged $250 million acquired through deceptive practices but also to prevent Trump and his children from serving as officers or directors in any New York company.
Prior to Engoron’s ruling, James sought to have Trump and his co-defendants sanctioned $10,000 each for repeatedly attempting to delay the trial with unsuccessful legal arguments. In response, Trump demanded that James withdraw her motion for sanctions. Special Counsel Andrew Amer, representing James and the people, firmly stated that they would not comply with Trump’s demand, deeming it “frivolous.” Amer highlighted the court’s previous warning to Trump regarding the use of “borderline frivolous” arguments, asserting that the motion for withdrawal itself was “frivolous and sanctionable.”
