A New York judge has ruled that Ivanka Trump must appear as a witness in the civil fraud lawsuit against her father, former President Donald Trump, her brothers, and their family business.
This decision was made weeks into the trial initiated by New York Attorney General Tish James against the aforementioned parties, as well as some executives.
Ivanka Trump was previously dismissed as a defendant four months ago. Both the defense attorneys and her legal representatives argued that she should not be required to testify. They pointed out that she had relocated from New York and had left her position at the Trump Organization back in 2017. However, the state's lawyers contended that Ivanka Trump, who was a former executive vice president of the Trump Organization, possessed pertinent information.
Judge Arthur Engoron ultimately sided with the state, referencing documentation that demonstrated Ivanka Trump's continued connections to various businesses in New York, as well as her ownership of Manhattan apartments.
"Ms. Trump has clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York," stated Engoron. He specified that her testimony would not be scheduled before November 1, allowing her legal team time to pursue an appeal.
James' lawsuit alleges that the former president consistently overstated his wealth on financial documents provided to banks, insurers, and other entities to secure loans and business transactions.
The defendants vigorously deny these allegations, with Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, characterizing the trial as a politically motivated "sham." Notably, Attorney General Tish James is a Democrat.
The ex-president and his sons are expected to testify at some point during the trial. In a surprising development, Donald Trump briefly took the witness stand on Wednesday to address Judge Engoron's questions regarding an out-of-court remark.
Ivanka Trump's attorney, Bennet Moskowitz, informed the judge that state lawyers lacked jurisdiction over her. In June, a state appeals court had dismissed the claims against her as being too old. Ivanka Trump had officially announced her departure from her role at the Trump Organization in January 2017, just prior to her father's inauguration. Subsequently, she assumed the role of an unpaid senior adviser within the Trump White House. Following the conclusion of her father's term, she relocated to Florida.
Christopher Kise, a lawyer representing the ex-president, argued, "The idea that somehow Ms. Trump is under the control of the Trump Organization or any of the defendants, her father - anyone who has raised a daughter past the age of 13 knows that they're not under their control."
Kise maintained that the state lawyers simply desired another opportunity to scrutinize one of President Trump's children. Conversely, state lawyers contended that Ivanka Trump played a significant role in some of the events under discussion in the case and remained financially and professionally entwined with the family business and its leadership.
"She is unquestionably someone who can provide testimony," asserted Kevin Wallace, an attorney from the attorney general's office. Photo by U.S. Department of State from United States, Wikimedia commons.