Donald Trump’s middle child has spoken out about a judge’s decision that could force the former president to dismantle his New York businesses.
“I have never seen such hatred towards one person from a judge,” Eric Trump said in a post on his father’s social media platform Truth Social. Eric, 39, called Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron’s decision “egregious.”
In a statement to the washington post, Trump spokesperson Alina Habba said the decision would be appealed.
Eric also said the judge undervalued Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in his ruling in a separate post on X.
“In an effort to destroy my father and kick him out of New York, a judge has just ruled that Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, is only worth about ‘$18 million,’” he raged.
‘Mar-a-Lago is speculated to be worth well over a billion dollars, making it perhaps the most valuable residential asset in the country. It’s all so corrupt and coordinated,” Eric added.
Donald Trump’s middle child has spoken out about a judge’s decision that could dismantle their family’s business empire
Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House
Judge Engoron ruled that Trump committed years of fraud in building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House, after prosecutors accused him of inflating real estate valuations at lenders and lowering them to the tax authorities .
In response, Trump told Truth Social that it was “a very sad day for the New York State justice system.”
“This is the judicial behavior that forces thousands of businesses to flee New York for other locales, while virtually none return to the city or state.”
The civil trial will begin in October and could last until the end of the year as Trump continues to lead the Republican presidential nominee.
Tuesday’s ruling came in a civil lawsuit filed by James, even as Trump faces multiple criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions related to his election efforts and other matters.
Last year, she filed a lawsuit alleging numerous acts of fraud. Lawyers representing Trump and his company, as well as his adult children, asked the judge to dismiss the case for summary judgment.
James discovered that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his wealth with the paperwork used in closing deals and securing financing.
She said he has increased valuations by as much as $2 billion, boosting the value of signature assets including the Mar-a-Lago club where he now resides and his Manhattan penthouse apartment in Trump Tower.
A New York judge ruled in summary proceedings that former President Trump and his company were guilty of fraud over a period of years
The decision, days before the start of a non-jury trial in Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, is the strongest rejection yet of Trump’s carefully coiffed image as a wealthy and savvy real estate mogul turned political powerhouse.
In addition to merely bragging about his wealth, Trump, his company and key executives repeatedly lied about it in his annual financial statements, reaping rewards such as favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums, Engoron found.
The tactic crossed a line and broke the law, the judge said, rejecting Trump’s claim that a disclaimer on the financial statements would absolve him of any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors in Manhattan had considered filing a criminal case over the same conduct but declined to do so, leaving James to sue Trump and seek penalties that could disrupt his and his family’s ability to do business in the state.
Engoron’s ruling, in a phase of the case known as summary judgment, resolves the main claim in James’ lawsuit, but six others remain.
Engoron will hold a non-jury trial starting October 2 before ruling on these claims and any penalties he may impose. James is seeking $250 million in fines and a ban on Trump doing business in New York, his home state. The process could last until December, Engoron said.
Trump’s lawyers had asked the judge to dismiss the case, which he denied.
They argue that James was not legally allowed to file the lawsuit because there is no evidence that the public has been harmed by Trump’s actions. They also argued that many of the allegations in the lawsuit were barred by the statute of limitations.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Letitia James, New York’s secretary of state, accusing her of bias against him
Trump has long accused James and other prosecutors after him of bias.
The ruling came in a case in which Trump again made potentially damaging statements during a statement.
Trump, who was questioned, compared his golf and real estate empire to the Mona Lisa and other priceless works of art.
Trump made this extraordinary claim when describing his decision to hand over control of his company to his adult sons Don Jr. and Eric during his tenure as president — as New York AG Letitia James sat across from him in a Manhattan courthouse for a deposition.
“We have the Mona Lisas of property,” Trump told the prosecutor in the April deposition released Wednesday.
Then he bragged about his golf course in Turnberry, Scotland. ‘I could sell that. That’s like selling a painting. A painting on the wall that sells for $250 million,” he continued.
“I have great assets,” Trump gushed – raving about Mar-a-Lago and his property at 40 Wall Street, which he believes is “the best location,” he told prosecutor Kevin Wallace in James’ office.
Prosecutors allege he has increased his net worth by between $812 million and $2.2 billion every year over the past decade. James claims Trump inflated his valuations as he sought loans. Trump’s lawyers are asking a judge to dismiss the case, calling it a “crusade” over long-ago loans.
“You have no case and you need to drop this case,” Trump told James.