Former president Donald Trump came to this courthouse in Manhattan making *** rare voluntary appearance before *** judge, not in one of the four criminal cases against him, but as *** defendant in *** lawsuit that could upend his business empire.
Judge Arthur Engoron delivered an early victory to James last week, ruling that Trump committed fraud by exaggerating the size of his penthouse at Trump Tower, claiming his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was worth as much as $739 million and putting similar oversized valuations on office towers, golf courses and other assets.The non-jury trial concerns six remaining claims in the lawsuit and how much Trump might owe in penalties.
Trump's lawyers said the statements were legitimate representations of the worth of unique luxury properties, made even more valuable because of their association with Trump.After staying away from a previous trial, in which his company and one of his top executives was convicted of, Trump spent hours sitting in court watching Monday's opening statements, emerging several times to tell reporters that the trial was “a sham" intended to hurt his 2024 election prospects.