Trump's civil fraud trial enters homestretch as legal filings preview next week's closing arguments
Lawyers for Donald Trump and New York state are launching a final effort to make their case in the former president's civil business fraud trial
NEW YORK (AP) — Launching a final effort to make their case, New York state lawyers and Donald Trump's defense filed court papers Friday highlighting their takeaways from more than 10 weeks of testimony in his civil business fraud trial.
The filings preview closing arguments, set for Thursday, in a lawsuit that is consequential for the leading Republican presidential hopeful even while he fights four criminal cases in various courts. The New York civil case could end up barring him from doing business in the state where he built his real estate empire.
New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the lawsuit, which accuses Trump, his company and key executives of deceiving banks and insurers by vastly inflating his net worth. James argues that Trump got attractive rates on loans and insurance because of the wealth he claimed on his personal “statements of financial condition,” or “SFCs” for short.
The suit alleges that the documents gave exorbitant values for golf courses, hotels, and more, including Trump's former home in his namesake tower in New York and his current home at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
