Former President Donald Trump‘s legal issues are set to continue this week, with updates expected in both his civil and criminal cases.
Trump’s $250 million fraud civil trial, where he is accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of filing fraudulent filings statements that inflated the value of several of his properties and assets for years, is among those cases.
Prior to the start of the trial, which began on October 4, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump had committed fraud while inflating the value of several properties, such as his Mar-a-Lago resort and his triplex apartment at Trump Tower in Manhattan—the main allegation under James’ $250 million lawsuit.
The ruling means that the civil trial will decide six remaining claims in the suit, as well as determining the size of any penalty against Trump and his real estate company. Trump could face a fine totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, as well as a ban from doing business in New York. Some of his properties could even be removed from his control or dissolved.
On Friday, a New York appeals court halted the cancellation of Trump’s business certificates allowing him to operate in New York the state, which Engoron enforced on his September 26 ruling.
Trump’s legal team had also requested that the civil trial be put on hold while the legal arguments around the case continue. This request was rejected in an order signed by Justice Peter H. Moulton, meaning the proceedings are set to continue as scheduled.
In a statement, Trump lawyer Christopher Kise told Newsweek: “We are very pleased the First Department upheld New York law and put a halt to any cancellation of business certificates, receivers or dissolution. The trial court’s attempt to reach issues, entities and assets beyond the scope of this case has been suspended.”
James suggested that the stay of Engoron’s ruling was unnecessary because the attorney general’s office had already agreed to delay the certificate cancellation during the appeal.
“Once again, Donald Trump’s attempts to delay this trial have been rejected,” James said. “The truth is simple: a judge ruled that he committed repeated and persistent fraud, and we will continue to demonstrate that in court.”
Trump, the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, has denied all wrongdoing in connection to James’ lawsuit, and accused the case of being a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
On October 12, a potential major hearing under the federal classified documents case involving the former president will also take place.
Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the trial where Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 charges, is set to hold a so-called “Garcia hearing” to examine a potential conflict of interest for the lawyers of the former president’s two co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) had previously called on Cannon to hold a Garcia hearing because attorney John Irving, who represents De Oliveira, and Stanley Woodward, who is representing Nauta, are also the lawyers for people who could be called as witnesses in the federal case.
Federal prosecutors argued that the potential conflict of interest could mean that Irving and Woodward could represent a defendant in the classified documents trial, and then cross-examine another of their clients who is providing evidence to the jury.
The Garcia hearing could see Nauta and De Oliveria request new lawyers to represent them.
The DOJ previously called for a Garcia hearing due to a potential conflict as Woodward was representing Yuscil Taveras, a Mar-a-Lago IT worker.
Taveras later flipped against Trump and the other two defendants in the classified documents case after requesting a new lawyer.
Taveras changed his original testimony because he was facing a potential perjury charge after investigators said he made false claims by declaring he was not aware of any alleged attempts by Trump, Nauta, or De Oliveira to delete security footage that had been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors.