(NewsInsights.org) – Former President Donald Trump and his attorneys are fighting hard on several legal fronts simultaneously. Of the six major legal cases that Team Trump is battling, the one that might most significantly affect the business mogul’s financial empire is New York Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million civil lawsuit alleging the Trump Organization fraudulently reported property values, affecting taxes, loans, insurance rates, and net worth. Recently, a New York Appellate Court judge placed a gag order issued against the former president and his lawyers on hold pending a full hearing on the matter.
In September, Judge Arthur Engoron of the New York Supreme Court First Judicial District passed summary judgment, finding Trump and his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, liable for fraud based on the case’s merits. Engoron revoked the Trump Organization’s New York business certification, placing corporate assets into receivership. James and the state of New York must prove other allegations before Engoron can decide whether to find for the plaintiffs and in what amount.
On October 3, Engoron issued a gag order to Trump and his attorneys after the former president created several posts on social media attacking the judge’s clerk, Allison Greenfield, saying she was “running this case” against him. He also posted a photo of Greenfield with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), calling her “Schumer’s girlfriend” and demanding that the court drop the case immediately for bias.
Trump violated the gag order twice after Engoron placed it, resulting in multiple fines totaling $15,000. Trump’s legal team filed an appeal against the gag order and the fines. They argued that they violated their client’s First Amendment rights, causing even more critical injury as he runs for the presidential primary.
On Thursday, November 16, Appellate Division Associate Justice David Friedman issued a brief order pausing Engoran’s gag orders until after Friedman hears arguments on Monday, November 27. The pause also coincides with the temporary suspension of a federal gag order issued by US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan on October 17. The federal appeals court heard arguments regarding Chutkan’s gag order on Monday, November 20.
After Friedman issued his order, Trump attacked Greenfield on social media again, calling her a “Trump Hating Clerk” and referring to the suspended gag order as “Ridiculous and Unconstitutional,” according to POLITICO.
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