How long can Donald Trump’s fraud trial in New York last?
A civil suit into Donald Trump’s financial fraud began Monday, 2 October. How long could the case last?
Finally, after many attempts to delay, Donald Trump will sit in a New York City court after being found liable for financial fraud. The civil suit comes after an investigation into the former president’s financial dealings was carried out by the office of the Attorney General of New York, Letitia James. The former president’s legal team has tried for months to stall the trial proceedings. Recently, Trump’s lawyers took the aggressive step of filing a lawsuit against the Judge overseeing the case, Arthur Engoron, which came after months of attacks accusing the judge of being a political operative.
Last week, Judge Engoron released a summary judgment that validated many of the findings in the AG’s investigation. The judge wrote that to obtain financing, Donald Trump routinely deceived banks and other financial institutions by inflating, undervaluing, and exaggerating his net worth and the value of his assets. The document dealt a blow to the Trump family business, with the judge ordering that some of their business be stripped of their legal status.
The former president could be on the hook to pay $250 million in damages if the judge overseeing the case finds he is liable on the six remaining claims made by AG James’ office. The outcome of the trial will depend entirely and exclusively on Engoron’s verdict, thus counting without the participation of a popular jury.
How long could the trial last?
In November 2022, Judge Engoron set the trial date for 2 October 2023 and gave a deadline of 22 December 2023 for the court proceedings. While Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he would be in court for the first day of proceedings, he is unlikely to remain in New York City for the remainder of the case.