Former President Donald Trump returned to New York City for another legal battle before him. It comes just a week after he was arraigned on 34 felony charges by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in a separate case.
On Thursday, Trump faced a second deposition by New York Attorney General Letitia James in a civil fraud case brought against him and his business, The Trump Organization. The 2024 Republican presidential candidate is accused of inflating the value of his assets in an attempt to defraud bank lenders and insurers.
Trump’s civil lawsuit explained
In September 2022, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against The Trump Organization, Trump, and three of his adult children: Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump. James accused the Trump family business of falsely inflating his net worth by billions of dollars.
According to a press release from the attorney general’s office, the lawsuit alleges that Trump used the inflated value of his net worth to obtain more favorable terms with banks “than would otherwise have been available to the company.”
James’ civil lawsuit accuses Trump and his business of violating state law, including falsification of business records and engaging in insurance fraud. New York’s top prosecutor also suggested that Trump potentially violated federal criminal law, such as issuing false statements to financial institutions and bank fraud.
James is seeking a court order for the permanent barring of the Trump family from doing business in New York and that Trump pays at least $250 million in damages, among other penalties.
Trump has consistently called the lawsuit a “witch hunt” and has personally attacked Attorney General James, including calling her “racist.”
In his first deposition conducted by the Office of the New York Attorney General in August 2022, Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against…
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