The New York judiciary on Friday granted Donald Trump a temporary reprieve in his civil fraud trial since Monday by temporarily suspending the partial dissolution of the former President of the United States’ real estate empire in New York.
• Also read: United States: Trump supports Jim Jordan for House Speaker
• Also read: Trump denies having discussed US nuclear submarines with the Australian billionaire
• Also read: Trump drops charges against his former lawyer
The Republican billionaire, who was the favorite in the polls to win his party’s primary for the 2024 presidential election, filed an appeal on Wednesday to halt his case in a first instance court called the Supreme Court of New York.
The hearings, without a jury but with Mr. Trump present, began on Monday, October 2nd, but were preceded on September 26th by a surprise summary decision by Judge Arthur Engoron in which he concluded that was about “repeated fraud” by the Trump Organization group, and ordered the revocation of business licenses in New York State of Donald Trump and two of his two sons, Don Jr and Eric.
In a ruling by a New York appeals court on Friday, reported by the legal press, the justices refused to stay the trial but decided to suspend “the implementation of the suspension of commercial licenses” and the seizure of Trump family companies.
It’s a partial victory for the former president, who gets a reprieve from the partial dissolution of his real estate group ordered by Judge Engoron last week.
His colleague, appeals judge Peter Moulton, on Friday listened to Trump’s lawyers and representatives of the plaintiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is demanding $250 million in reparations.
The real estate empire “is owned and controlled by (Trump). Once it’s dissolved, it’s dissolved. It is chaos and there is chaos now,” argued a defense attorney for Donald Trump, Christopher Kise, who was present in the appeals court, according to ABC Television.
In contrast, Ms. James’s representative, Judy Vale, argued that “there is absolutely no legal basis for temporarily suspending a trial that has already been ongoing for a week.”
Donald Trump spent nearly three days in the Manhattan courthouse, in the courtroom and in the hallways with the press.
Prosecutor James mocked him Wednesday for his “spectacle” and “political stunt (and) fundraiser.” In return, he called this African-American judge and Democratic Party elected official “corrupt” and “racist.”
She reiterated that “justice will prevail” in this trial, which continues on Tuesday.