A New York appeals court judge halted a fraud trial against Trump originally scheduled for October 2.
State Justice David Friedman from the 1st Department of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division ordered an interim stay and called for a five-judge panel.
The lawsuit was filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and alleges that Trump defrauded banks, insurers, and others with statements that falsely reflected the value of his various assets.
James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a prohibition on Trump conducting business in New York.
In an April testimony, Trump said, “You don’t have a case and you should drop this case.”
“Do you know the banks were fully paid? Do you know the banks made a lot of money?” Trump testified. “Do you know I don’t believe I ever got even a default notice, and even during COVID, the banks were all paid? And yet you’re suing on behalf of banks, I guess. It’s crazy. The whole case is crazy.”
Reporting from The Epoch Times:
In a separate case, President Trump's attorneys earlier this week requested in a court filing that Judge Tanya Chutkan recuse herself, claiming that she made biased statements against their client during the sentencings for multiple Jan. 6 defendants. An Obama appointee, Judge Chutkan is overseeing the federal election subversion case brought against the former president brought by special counsel Jack Smith. "Judge Chutkan has, in connection with other cases, suggested that President Trump should be prosecuted and imprisoned," his filing stated. "Such statements, made before this case began and without due process, are inherently disqualifying."
