Donald Trump Jr. makes a return appearance. Here’s the latest.
The fate of his flagship New York properties, the future of his family business and $250 million: These are the stakes in Donald J. Trump’s civil fraud trial.
While Mr. Trump is not at risk of going to prison — as is possible in the four criminal cases he faces around the country — the civil trial could still produce a number of serious consequences for the former president and his family business.
The trial stems from a lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who accused Mr. Trump and his family business of fraudulently inflating assets by billions of dollars to secure favorable loan terms from banks.
Ms. James has effectively won already: The State Supreme Court judge overseeing the case ruled before trial that the former president had persistently committed fraud, deciding that no trial was needed to determine the core of Ms. James’s lawsuit.
The judge, Arthur F. Engoron, also imposed a heavy punishment, canceling the business licenses that have enabled Mr. Trump to operate his companies in New York. An appeals court paused that part of the judge’s order, meaning that while Mr. Trump’s control of the companies may still be at risk, he does not immediately need to dissolve the legal entities he uses to manage his properties.
Ms. James is now asking for more from Justice Engoron, who will determine the outcome himself in the nonjury trial.
She is seeking to recover $250 million in what the state considers ill-gotten gains. She wants to prohibit Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization from entering into New York State commercial real estate deals for the next five years and to bar them from applying for loans from New York banks during that same period.
As a final blow, Ms. James wants to permanently prevent Mr. Trump and his adult sons from running companies in New York State.
Though Mr. Trump has moved to Florida, his family business is still based in New York. The trial could end that for good.
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