A Manhattan judge said Wednesday there is no option for former President Donald Trump to go through a jury trial in the $250 million civil fraud case against him.
“We’re having a non-jury trial because we’re hearing a non-jury case,” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron said on the seventh day of Trump’s trial, according to ABC News.
Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump, 77, said during opening statements last week that her client wanted a jury to oversee the case against him.
And Trump – who was present for the first three days of the trial last week – said in front of the press and on his social media platform Truth Social several times that it was unfair he could not have a jury in the case.
Engoron said it wouldn’t have mattered if Trump’s team had checked the box on the legal form asking for a jury, or even if he had made a motion for one, because the judge would have rejected any such request.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is prosecuting the lawsuit, brought the case for “equitable” relief, which does not allow for a jury trial, Engoron explained – confirming comments Habba also made in the press.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron says Donald Trump’s fraud trial will not be eligible for jury supervision.AP
“It will not help to make a motion. No one forgot to check a box,” said the judge.
“I would like to thank you, Your Honor,” replied Habba.
Habba said in a statement the day after the opening remarks: “There was never an option to choose a jury trial.
“It is unfortunate that a jury will not be able to hear the absurd merits of this case and conclude that no wrongdoing ever occurred.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed it’s unfair that he can’t get a jury.John Lamparski/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
On Wednesday, Engoron heard testimony from Nicholas Haigh, a retired risk manager at Deutsche Bank, who said the company relied on Trump’s vast personal net worth in agreeing to loan him $125 million to buy a golf course in 2011, ABC News reported.
The James case alleges that for a decade, the real estate tycoon inflated his fortune by more than $3 billion a year to get better loan terms and insurance.
“[Trump] guaranteed he would repay our loan — all the money due on the loan,” Haigh said.
“He also assured that if the result was to lose money, he would pay the cost of the shortfall.”
Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said her client would have preferred a jury in the case and that unfortunately he had no choice.Meir Chaimowitz/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
He said Trump was allowed to use the Trump National Doral golf club and spa to back the loan – which was “extraordinary” collateral for the bank.
But it did so because it believed Trump could personally repay the money after looking at his annual Statement of Financial Condition — which James said Trump lied about every year from 2011 to 2021.
The former commander-in-chief agreed to keep his net worth at least $2.5 billion as part of the terms of the loan, Haigh explained.
“It was set up to ensure that the bank was fully protected under adverse market conditions,” Haigh told the judge.
Engoron said that since NY AG Letitia James sought “equitable” relief in her case against Trump, a jury trial has been blocked in the case.Getty Images
James, meanwhile, has claimed that Trump’s real worth was a much lower $1.5 billion at the time he struck the deal — which would have put him in default.
Haigh also said that when Trump came seeking $1 billion in support to buy the Buffalo Bills football team in 2014, the bank rejected the request, because Trump already had a loan with the bank, the outlet reported.
“Deutsche Bank was not prepared to increase its credit exposure to Donald Trump at that time,” Haigh testified.
The Attorney General’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
