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#Judge denies Trump’s bid to overturn civil contempt order, $10K daily fines

“Judge denies Trump’s bid to overturn civil contempt order, $10K daily fines”

A judge Friday denied Donald Trump’s bid to overturn a civil contempt order and stop $10,000 in daily fines from accumulating for allegedly not properly answering Attorney General Letitia James’ subpoena for documents.

The order comes after Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron on Monday found the former president was in contempt of court for not meeting a March 31 deadline to turn over documents to James in her investigation of the Trump Organization.

In response to Engoron’s order – which Trump appealed Wednesday – Trump and two of his lawyers filed affidavits to the judge swearing that he doesn’t have any documents that the AG is seeking.

“Mr. Trump’s personal affidavit is completely devoid of any useful details,” the judge wrote in the Friday order.

Engoron says that none of the affidavits say with sufficient detail specifics about how Trump’s lawyers searched for the documents that the AG requested in the subpoenas.

Also, Trump’s affidavit “fails to state if he turned over his personal electronic devices for imaging and searching,” Engoron wrote.

“Each day that passes without compliance further prejudices [the AG], as the statutes of limitations continue to run and may result in [the AG] being unable to pursue,” litigation, the judge’s decision reads.

Former President Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump is being fined $10,000 daily for failing to comply with the attorney general’s subpoena.
EPA

Trump lawyer Alina Habba has argued that her client doesn’t have any documents that aren’t already being turned over by the Trump Organization.

In a statement Friday, Habba blasted Engoron’s new ruling and said his conduct at Monday’s hearing caused a “public spectacle.”

“Today’s events have made it overwhelmingly clear that this case no longer has anything to do with the proper application of legal principles governing discovery disclosure,” Habba’s statement read.

Judge Arthur Engoron
Judge Arthur Engoron found former President Trump in contempt of court on April 25, 2022.
Gregory P. Mango

“The court completely disregarded the detailed affidavits that demonstrate the meticulous efforts undertaken to effectuate this search,” Habba said. “This court has improperly held my client in contempt for a violation that he did not commit solely because the OAG declared it ‘insufficient’ without any basis.”

“The tactics employed by this court, including the dramatic pounding of the gavel, the statements directed to our client from the bench, and direct comments to the press have reduced this hearing to the likes of a public spectacle,” Habba’s statement continued.

“We will zealously prosecute our appeal of the court’s improper application of both law and fact,” the lawyer concluded.

Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for New York courts, declined to comment on the Habba’s criticism of Engoron’s decisions in the case.

James launched a probe in 2019 after Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen gave Congressional testimony saying that Trump exaggerated company assets for loan, insurance and tax purposes.

The AG then filed suit in 2020 claiming that the company and Eric Trump were stonewalling the investigation.

She has since added Trump and his two kids Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. to the case and is seeking their depositions. The family trio is appealing a ruling ordering their testimony.

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