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Facing the potential loss of control over his New York real estate ventures, former US President Donald Trump has announced his voluntary appearance in court on Monday, October 2, to commence a civil trial related to a lawsuit that has already seen a judge ruling against him for fraudulent business practices.
“I will be appearing in court tomorrow morning to defend my name and reputation,” Trump declared on his Truth Social platform Sunday night.
In his statement, Trump directed criticism at New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is pursuing the lawsuit, and Judge Arthur Engoron, presiding over the non-jury trial and who issued the recent fraud ruling.
“THIS ENTIRE CASE IS A SHAM!!!” Trump emphatically asserted. “See you in Court – Monday morning,” he added.
James, a Democrat, has accused Trump, a Republican, and his company of consistently misrepresenting his wealth in financial statements. Last week, Engoron resolved the lawsuit’s primary claim even before the trial began, finding that Trump habitually misled banks, insurers, and others by inflating the value of assets on documents used for transactions and loan approvals.
The lawsuit names several potential witnesses, including the former president, his two elder sons, Trump Organization executives, and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
Notably, Trump failed to appear as a witness or observer during the trial where his company and a top executive were convicted of tax fraud last year. He also did not attend a trial earlier this year, in which a jury found him liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room.
James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a prohibition on Trump conducting business in New York. Engoron’s recent ruling, if upheld on appeal, could result in the appointment of a court receiver to manage some of Trump’s companies and compel him to relinquish prized New York properties, including Trump Tower, a Wall Street office building, golf courses, and a suburban estate. Trump has characterized this as a “corporate death penalty.”
Trump further vented on his Truth Social platform, accusing Engoron of being “unfair, unhinged, and vicious in his PURSUIT of me.” Engoron will be tasked with deciding on the remaining six claims in James’ lawsuit, which encompass allegations of conspiracy, falsifying business records, and insurance fraud.
The lawsuit alleges that Trump and his company made numerous false statements in financial statements provided to banks. In a recent court filing, James’ office claimed that Trump exaggerated his wealth by as much as $3.6 billion. Among these allegations were Trump’s overvaluation of his Trump Tower apartment in Manhattan and Mar-a-Lago.
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting in sworn testimony for the case that the contents of his financial statements were irrelevant due to disclaimers cautioning against reliance on them. His legal team has also argued that no one suffered harm as a result of the information in those statements, as the banks were repaid in full, and business partners profited.
As Trump campaigns for next year’s election, he faces four indictments, including fraud related to his New York businesses, conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss, hoarding classified documents, and falsifying business records connected to hush money payments made on his behalf.
