NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers were thwarted Thursday in their longshot bid to put an immediate end to the New York civil fraud trial that threatens the former president’s real estate empire.
The judge didn’t rule on the request, but he indicated that the trial will go on as scheduled Monday with Donald Trump Jr. returning to the stand as the first defense witness.
Trump’s lawyers had asked Judge Arthur Engoron to cut the trial short and issue a verdict clearing Trump, his company and top executives including Trump Jr. of wrongdoing.
They made the request at the halfway point in the trial of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, arguing that state lawyers had failed to prove their case. James alleges that Trump and other defendants duped banks, insurers and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements.
Engoron said the defense’s arguments seeking what’s known as a directed verdict were “taken under advisement” and did not address them further when he returned to court Thursday afternoon to rule on another matter.
In that ruling, Engoron gave Trump’s lawyers a victory, allowing…
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