Former US President Donald Trump appeared in court on Tuesday for the third week of a civil fraud trial in New York, on October 17, 2023.
Fatih Akta | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Donald Trump and his co-defendants asked a judge Wednesday to grant a mistrial in the $250 million civil business fraud case that threatens the former president’s business empire.
The court filing from Trump, his two adult sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, the Trump Organization and its top executives argued that “the evidence of apparent and actual bias” in the case is “tangible and overwhelming.”
But the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case, accused Trump of “trying to dismiss the truth and the facts.”
“The numbers and evidence don’t lie,” a spokesperson for James’ office said in a statement. “Donald Trump is now being held accountable for the years of fraud he committed and the incredible ways he lied to enrich himself and his family. He can keep trying to distract from his fraud, but the truth always comes out.”
James accuses Trump and the other defendants of fraudulently inflating his net worth by billions of dollars in order to obtain financial perks including tax benefits and better loan and insurance terms.
She seeks about $250 million in damages and wants to permanently bar Trump and his sons, who took over the Trump Organization after their father became president in 2017, from running a New York business.
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