Ivanka Trump must testify in the $250 million fraud case against her father, brothers and family business, a judge in New York has ruled.
In a new blow to Donald Trump, frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that the former president’s daughter, 41, must give evidence.
In a case brought by the New York attorney-general, the judge has already decided that Trump and his property company, The Trump Organization, vastly overinflated the value of assets in order to obtain bigger loans secured against them.
Ivanka Trump worked as a special adviser during her father’s time in the White House and was the executive vice-president of the family business.
She had been dismissed as a defendant in the case months ago and defence lawyers as well as her own attorney argued that she should not have to testify, because she had left New York and had not worked for the organisation since 2017.
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However, the state has contended that because of her former high-profile role in the company she might have relevant information.
Now, weeks into the trial of the New York attorney-general Letitia James’s lawsuit against Trump, his sons Donald Jr and Eric, the Trump Organization and some executives, Engoron has sided with the state.
The judge cited documents showing that Ivanka continued to have ties to some businesses in New York and still owned apartments in Manhattan. “Ms Trump has clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York,” Engoron said.
He added that her testimony would not take place before November 1 to give her lawyers time to appeal.
James, a Democrat accused of orchestrating a politically motivated “sham” case against Trump, alleges that the former president overstated his wealth for years on financial statements given to banks, insurers and others to help secure loans and deals.
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James is calling for a $250 million fine and a ban on Trump and his sons working as executives in New York. The defendants deny the allegations.
The former president has been present during several days of the hearing, including earlier this week when his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, gave evidence against him.
On Wednesday Trump was fined $10,000 after breaking the rules of a gag order imposed by Engoron meant to stop him from posting comments on social media about the court’s staff.
Trump, 77, is the overwhelming favourite to win the Republican presidential nomination but is fighting legal battles on many fronts. As well as the New York fraud case, he faces charges in Manhattan over alleged hush-money payments to a porn star; election interference charges in Washington; a classified documents case in Florida; and accusations that he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
In some of those cases there are signs that his former loyalists are turning against him, just as Cohen has.
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Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, has reportedly been co-operating with prosecutors in the Washington election interference investigation.
In the case against Trump in Georgia, three lawyers who are accused of assisting him in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results have taken plea deals and agreed to co-operate with prosecutors.
Seeing his daughter give evidence in a lawsuit against him may pain Trump far more than any other development — Ivanka is widely said to be his favourite child. During a 2006 television appearance he said that if Ivanka were not his daughter “perhaps I’d be dating her”.
The former president denies all claims of wrongdoing.
