Donald Trump has told a Florida judge he plans on Monday to attend his Manhattan fraud trial, at which state Attorney General Tish James is seeking $250 million and to end his career as a New York City businessman.
In a Friday order, Miami federal court Judge Edwin Torres granted Trump’s request to reschedule an upcoming deposition with Michael Cohen’s lawyer, Danya Perry, pushing it back a week and rejecting Trump’s request for a more extended delay.
The former president, ensnared in a maze of criminal and civil cases as he seeks the White House a second time, said he couldn’t attend the Oct. 3 deposition in his $500 million attorney-client privilege lawsuit against Cohen in West Palm Beach, Fla. as he must attend the AG case in New York.
Trump’s plan to attend the New York trial is a surprise as he hasn’t attended any hearings in the Attorney General’s civil case and is not legally required to be there, as in criminal matters. He told Torres he’s planning to attend the trial for the first week.
Cohen’s lawyers have asked Torres to impose sanctions against Trump if it turns out he misled the court about attending the AG trial or if he tries to skip the newly scheduled deposition now slated to take place in New York instead of Florida on Oct. 9.
cohen
Barry Williams/for New York Daily News
Michael Cohen
Though the trial is yet to begin, Trump suffered a round of crushing blows in the AG’s case, with Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron on Tuesday finding him liable – the civil court equivalent of guilty – on James’ top fraud claim.
Engoron also ordered the cancellation of all Trump-owned and controlled business certificates in his native New York, effectively neutering his ability to run a company in the state where he burnished his image as a billionaire businessman. The Republican frontrunner faced another defeat Thursday after failing to convince an appeals court to delay the high-stakes trial.
The Tuesday ruling found Trump, his adult sons, and top Trump Organization execs for a decade vastly exaggerated the value of company assets like Trump Tower on Fifth Ave. and his Mar-a-Lago, Fla., estate to banks and lenders, ballooning his net worth by up to $2.2 billion during some years to illegally reap high-yielding loans and more fruitful insurance terms.
Engoron will consider the AG’s remaining six claims at the non-jury trial, where Cohen is expected to be a key witness. James, who plans to put Trump on the witness stand, is intent on blocking him from ever serving as head of a New York corporation, along with his sons and executives, and demands that Trump’s businesses hand over at least $250 million in ill-gotten gains. The judge previously estimated the trial could take three months.
James plans to present evidence showing Trump inflated his net worth far higher than the $2.2 billion sum, which she said was based solely on evidence he didn’t dispute. She says the numbers he does dispute show him exaggerating it by up to $3.6 billion some years between 2011 and 2021.
Attorney General Letitia James
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images NY Attorney General Letitia James
The last time Trump appeared in a New York courtroom was in April following his indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office on allegations he covered up his reimbursements to Cohen for an illegal hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
In the course of that court appearance, officials dealt with bogus bomb threats and white powder scares, and Bragg and the presiding judge received death threats.
Office of Court Administration spokesman Lucian Chalfen told The News court officials have prepared security measures for whatever may happen Monday and are working with the NYPD and other law enforcement.
Trump’s lawyers on the AG case and his Cohen suit did not respond to requests seeking comment. Perry and the AG’s office declined to comment.
Cohen said he’s planning to attend the trial’s first day — and is excited to see his old boss.
“I look forward to seeing Donald at the NY AG’s civil trial next week, as it has been many years since we have seen one another,” Cohen said.
“Our time together will continue as I additionally plan on being at the deposition on Oct. 9.”
Trump, facing four criminal cases and a slew of lawsuits, denies all allegations.
Molly Crane-Newman
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