A Manhattan judge overseeing the civil fraud trial involving former President Donald Trump has threatened to eject him from the courtroom if he continues to deliver lengthy speeches instead of direct answers.
The warning came to Trump during the November 6, 2023 proceedings as he provided a broad response to allegations that he overstated assets in financial statements between 2011 and 2021.
The case, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, pursues damages of $250 million and has pivotal implications for Trump and his company.
In a notable exchange, Judge Arthur Engoron instructed Trump’s attorneys to ensure their client provided succinct “yes or no” responses. The judge indicated he would draw “every negative inference” if Trump’s behavior persisted, expressing frustration with Trump’s reluctance to directly answer the questions posed.
The tension in the courtroom escalated when Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, attempted to defend his right to elaborate on his answers, prompting Engoron to order her to “sit down.”
Judge Engoron’s warning to Trump follows a series of confrontations in the courtroom. The judge has consistently pressed Trump to refrain from political statements and focus on the matters pertinent to the trial. Trump’s interactions with the court have been marked by assertions that Judge Engoron had ruled against him prior to understanding the case’s nuances.
The case revolves around whether Trump’s organization falsely reported the value of his assets to secure loans and economic and tax benefits. Trump has distanced himself from the financial statements under scrutiny despite the prosecution’s arguments to the contrary.
Moreover, this trial features Judge Engoron, who previously fined Trump $5,000 for violating a gag order by making prohibited public statements about the judge’s staff. Trump had berated the judge’s law clerk in a social media post that remained on his website for over two weeks, defying the court’s directive.
The Manhattan judge’s strict stance in this ongoing legal battle underscores the gravity of the situation as Trump testifies in person for the first time in the numerous legal challenges he faces. Unlike in criminal proceedings, where he could invoke the Fifth Amendment, Trump is compelled to testify in this civil litigation.
The trial, unfolding at the New York State Supreme Court, has attracted significant attention, not only for the weighty accusations but also for Trump’s responses. His testimony is marked by divergences into topics such as the disclaimer clause of his financial statements, which he claims absolves him of liability.
Further complicating the case is the backdrop of public statements by Trump in other legal matters. Judge Tanya Chutkan, in a separate federal case, imposed a partial gag order due to concerns that Trump’s public pronouncements posed “grave threats” to the integrity of legal proceedings, threatening everyone involved in the case.
