In a scathing ruling, Judge Arthur Engoron denied former President Trump’s fifth request to dismiss his $250 million fraud case. Engoron openly ridiculed Trump, his legal team, and accounting expert Eli Bartov, who was paid nearly $900,000 to testify that Trump’s financial records did not fraudulently inflate his worth. The judge remarked that Bartov’s testimony only demonstrated that, for a substantial fee, experts could be persuaded to support any claim.
Judge Engoron was equally unimpressed with Trump’s lawyers’ argument regarding the statute of limitations, dismissing it despite their insistence that the lenders’ satisfaction and profits negated the fraud allegations. Engoron pointed out that lender satisfaction and profitability didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t damaged by lending at lower interest rates.
Turning his attention to Trump, Engoron concluded that Trump’s claims were “misstatements at best and fraud at worst,” emphasizing that “a lie is still a lie.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James labeled Trump’s demand for dismissal as a political stunt, asserting that it was designed for media attention rather than legal merit.
Despite Trump’s insistence that he committed no wrongdoing, Engoron had already declared him liable for fraud before the trial began. The current proceedings will now shift their focus to assessing and determining the extent of damages.
