The case that New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) has brought against former President Donald Trump has been put on hold.
Reuters reports:
A New York state appeals court judge on Thursday temporarily halted the scheduled Oct. 2 trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James' fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump and his family business, a spokesman for the court said.
This temporary hold comes after Trump brought a lawsuit against James as well as against the judge overseeing the case, namely, Judge Arthur Engoron.
The Daily Beast was the first to report on this lawsuit, which has yet to be made public.
Per the outlet, "Thursday’s court filing claims Engoron and James are both acting to defy appellate orders . . ."
The outlet adds, "Trump’s legal team says Engoron is overstepping his authority, and they want an appellate judge to put him in his place."
CBS News provides more details on the lawsuit, reporting:
The suit accuses Engoron of neglecting an earlier appeals court decision that Trump's team says should shrink the scope of the case against him . . . Trump's lawyers also raised Engoron's terse refusal to grant their recent request for a three-week trial delay, which he ruled as "completely without merit."
It appears that New York's appellate court is going to consider Trump's lawsuit against James and Engoron.
CBS reports:
Justice David Friedman, a judge on the state's intermediate appellate court, granted an interim stay of the trial and ordered the full appeals court to consider the lawsuit on an expedited basis. The court indicated it would issue a decision the week of Sept. 25, meaning the trial could still start on schedule depending on how it rules.
In the meantime, other aspects of James' case against Trump will continue. This includes the oral arguments that are set for Sept. 22.
Neither spokespeople for Trump nor Ergoron have commented upon Friedman's ruling. But, James has.
James put out a statement, saying, "We are confident in our case and will be ready for trial."
James filed her lawsuit against Trump in September 2022, following a three-year investigation. James, according to Reuters, claims that "Trump and his associates lied over a decade about his assets and net worth." Accordingly, James is "seeking a $250 million fine, and to bar Trump and his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from leading the family business, the Trump Organization."
Trump maintains his innocence, and he has argued that James is politically motivated. Trump, and others, have emphasized the fact that James, while running for attorney general, promised to "get Trump."
