Former US President Donald Trump waves after speaking to the media during the third day of his civil fraud trial in New York on October 4, 2023/AFPPix: Former president Donald Trump won a temporary respite Friday in his civil fraud lawsuit when a New York court granted a delay in canceling his licenses to operate his businesses in the state.
The hearings, held without a jury but with Trump in attendance, began on Monday following a surprise ruling from Judge Arthur Engoron late last month that there had been repeated fraud by the Trump Organization, and ordering the cancelation of the business license of Trump and his two grown sons Don Jr and Eric.
The ruling marked a temporary win for the ex-president, who faces a partial dismantling of his real estate empire after Judge Engoron's September decision. “This is everything owned or controlled by the defendant. Once you dissolve, you dissolve,“ argued Trump lawyer Christopher Kise, according to ABC News in the courtroom. “It’s chaos. It’s chaos right now.”