Ivanka Trump expected to testify in civil fraud trial against family business – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Her father made a caustic statement. Her brothers each spent more than a day on the witness stand.

Now it’s Ivanka Trump’s turn to face off in the civil fraud trial that is publicly investigating the family business. Former President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter, who is part of his inner circle in both business and politics, must appear on the witness stand Wednesday after unsuccessful attempts to block her testimony.

Unlike her father and brothers Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., she is no longer a defendant in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. James claims that Donald Trump’s assets were fraudulently inflated for years using financial reports that helped him obtain loans and insurance.

The non-jury trial will decide allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records — but Judge Arthur Engoron has already resolved the lawsuit’s main claim by ruling that Trump engaged in fraud. That decision came with provisions that could strip the ex-president of oversight of prominent properties like Trump Tower, although an appeals court is allowing him to remain in control of his holdings, at least for now.

James, a Democrat, is calling for a fine of more than $300 million and a ban on Trump doing business in New York.

The ex-president and top Republican candidate for 2024, like the other defendants, denies any wrongdoing. On Monday, he insisted in court that his financial reports grossly underestimated his net worth, that any discrepancies were minor, that a disclaimer absolved him of liability and that “this case is a disgrace.”

Ivanka Trump was executive vice president of the family’s Trump Organization before becoming an unpaid senior adviser in her father’s White House. Like her brothers, who are still EVPs of the Trump Organization, she has said she has minimal knowledge of her father’s financial statements.

“I don’t know exactly what was prepared on his behalf for him as a person, separate and distinct from the organization and properties I worked on,” she said during the deposition for the investigation that ultimately led to the conclusion Legal action. She said she did not know who prepared the statements or how the documents were compiled.

As an executive at the Trump Organization, Ivanka Trump was involved in securing a loan and lease for a hotel in Washington, as well as financing the Doral golf resort near Miami and a hotel and condominium tower in Chicago, according to court documents.

As her father’s inauguration approached, she announced in January 2017 that she was resigning from her job at the Trump Organization. After her time in administration, she moved to Florida.

An appeals court dismissed her as a defendant in the lawsuit in June, saying the claims against her were too old.

Her lawyers argued that she should not testify. They said the state was simply trying to harass the family by dragging them to court.

The attorney general’s office argued that her testimony was relevant, saying she was involved in some of the events discussed in the case and remains financially and professionally tied to the Trump Organization and its leaders. The company provided insurance for her and her businesses, managed her housekeeping and credit card bills, rented out her apartment and paid her legal fees, according to state court records.

Engoron and later an appeals court ruled that she had to testify.

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