Judge Orders Ivanka Trump to Testify in New York Civil Fraud Trial

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Facts

  • Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled Friday that Ivanka Trump will have to take the witness stand at her father's $250M civil fraud trial, determining that the former US first daughter would not testify before Wednesday so as to allow her to appeal this decision.1
  • He also denied a request from Donald Trump's lawyer, Chris Kise, to allow a deposition from Ivanka to take place in Florida, noting that he prefers to hear testimony live in court. She has allegedly not lived or worked in New York since 2017, but Engoron stated that she failed to submit an affidavit within due time.2
  • Ivanka is expected to testify in person next week on Friday, while her brothers, Donald Jr. and Eric, will be called to take the stand on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Scheduled to testify on Nov. 6., the former president is anticipated to be the final witness for the prosecution.3
  • This comes despite her being dismissed in June as a defendant in the case that New York Attorney General Letitia James brought against her father, brothers, and the Trump Organization in September last year for allegedly committing fraud and misrepresenting financial statements to inflate their net worth.4
  • The non-jury trial began Oct. 2 and will determine monetary penalties and whether Trump and his two eldest sons will be banned for life from running a business in New York state as well as whether Donald Jr. and Eric are also liable for fraud.5
  • Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to criticize the decision that his daughter Ivanka must testify, stating that Engoron is 'at a minimum, crazed in his hatred' of the former president as well as that this case should have already been dismissed.6

Sources: 1New York Post, 2CNN, 3NBC, 4FOX News, 5Business Insider and 6The Hill.

Narratives

  • Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Intelligencer. Ivanka may have sought to distance herself from the political operations of her father since his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, especially as his legal troubles have worsened recently, but remains involved with the Trump Organization and other plaintiffs. Given that she has relevant personal knowledge about this business fraud case, her testimony will be of great value.
  • Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by The Western Journal. This ruling is a complete absurdity, as an appeals court had ruled earlier this year that Ivanka — no longer an executive for the Trump Organization — couldn't be called to testify in this politically motivated case. As New York Attorney General Letitia James persists in unlawfully harassing the former US first daughter, it's shocking that Engoron makes no effort to conceal his partisanship.

Predictions