New York attorney general seeks sanctions after Trump caught lying in court documents
Mr Trump’s attorney has already been hit with nearly $1m in sanctions in a separate federal case
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked the judge overseeing her $250m fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump, his three eldest children, and their eponymous real estate company to sanction the Trumps and their attorneys for “demonstrably false” statements made in a “verified” response to her complaint.
Ms James’ office cited denials of basic facts and statements that contradicted what the Trumps had said in other court filings and appearances in a letter to New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron seeking sanctions against the defendants and their attorney, Alina Habba.
“Defendants falsely deny facts they have admitted in other proceedings, they deny knowledge sufficient to respond to factual allegations that are plainly within their knowledge, and they propound affirmative defenses that have been repeatedly rejected by this Court as frivolous and without merit,” she said.
Specifically, she pointed to a repeated claim made by the Trumps, who in their answers to Ms James’ suit said there is no such entity as the “Trump Organization,” despite Mr Trump and his children referring to their company as such on many occasions.
She also noted that Mr Trump described himself as president of the Trump Organization during an October 2021 deposition, and said Ms Habba had introduced herself as representing the Trump Organization in a hearing before the same judge who is overseeing the fraud case.
According to Ms James’ filing, Ms Habba began her remarks that day by saying: “Good morning, Your Honor. Alina Habba for Trump Organization, Donald Trump, et cetera”.
The New York attorney general recalled that Judge Engoron had declined to impose sanctions on the Trumps earlier in the proceedings that led to the civil fraud suit, and asked him to not give them a pass once more.
“The Court has already admonished defendants and their counsel for their continued invocation of meritless legal claims but exercised its discretion in not imposing such sanctions ... it does not appear that this point was taken, however, and [the AG’s office] would ask the court to renew the issue,” she said.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments