During a recent exchange between defense attorneys and a New York judge, it was revealed that imposing fines on former President Donald Trump is a viable option in his ongoing civil fraud trial. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, who had previously ruled that Trump had provided fraudulent valuations for his assets, stated that levying fines against the former president is “clearly an available remedy.” The judge’s comments came as Trump’s attorneys attempted to impede the testimony of the attorney general’s expert witness. Despite their efforts, the judge rejected the defense’s argument that disgorgement, or fining Trump for illegal profits, is not an option. Engoron firmly stated that disgorgement is indeed a viable remedy. However, Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise disagreed, claiming that the state had failed to prove that banks would have acted differently if they had known about the fraudulent statements. Kise cited Deutsche Bank executive Nicholas Haigh’s testimony, where Haigh deemed loaning money to Trump a “good credit decision.” Engoron dismissed Kise’s argument, emphasizing that several witnesses had testified that they would have acted differently if they had known about the fraudulent statements. The judge concluded by suggesting that the defendants were avoiding the reality of the situation.
Judge admonishes Trump lawyers for promoting blatantly false assertion
