A New York judge decided on Wednesday that Donald Trump is no longer in contempt of court.
After a protracted legal struggle, Judge Arthur Engoron stated the former president has now satisfied the requirements necessary to relieve the sanction that was imposed on him on April 25 for taking too long to answer to a civil subpoena issued by the attorney general of New York.
Trump paid $110,000 in fines last month that he accrued as a result of the contempt finding.
While Trump fights the initial contempt ruling, the money, which was given straight to Letitia James’ office of the attorney general, will continue to be kept in an escrow account, Engoron said on Wednesday.
After the state’s top court denied Trump’s last-ditch attempt to dodge a subpoena, he and his two oldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., are slated to testify under oath in James’ inquiry starting July 15.
Trump’s attorney Alina Habba stated, “Although we are happy that the court has overturned the contempt judgment, we maintain that it was entirely unnecessary and unlawful in the first place.”
“We will continue to pursue justice for our client through appeal.”
After missing a deadline of March 31 to comply with the conditions of her subpoena, the attorney general sought Engoron to find Trump in contempt of court.
Trump was fined $10,000 a day by Engoron for failing to comply, but the fine was stopped early in May when it seemed like the dispute would be resolved.
Engoron first consented on May 11 to have Trump’s contempt order lifted in exchange for paying the fines and fulfilling other requirements, such as providing affidavits outlining his search procedures and his company’s document preservation rules.
Because of their dissatisfaction with the degree of detail in Trump’s filings, Engoron and the attorney general’s office decided to keep the contempt judgment in place until additional affidavits were created.
The judge also mandated that the 17 boxes maintained in off-site storage be thoroughly searched by the company HaystackID, which Trump had engaged to assist in the search, submit a report detailing its results, and give over any pertinent papers.
The procedure was finished last month, according to James’ office.
When Trump’s attorneys produced 66 pages of court paperwork outlining their search for the subpoenaed materials, Engoron prevented the fine from being assessed as of May 6.
He had already issued a warning that if his demands weren’t met, he may restart it going back to May 7.
Democratic investigator James claims that she found proof that for more than ten years, Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, understated the worth of assets including towers and golf courses on financial records.
His annual financial statements, growth plans, and even correspondence with Forbes magazine, where he strove to enhance his reputation as a successful businessman, were all the subjects of her subpoena.
Republican candidate Trump has refuted the accusations. He has referred to James’ probe as “racist” and a “witch hunt” with political undertones. James is racial.
Trump’s attorneys have charged her with using selective justice.
Trump’s attorneys claim James is using her civil inquiry to gather evidence that might be used against him in a separate criminal investigation being carried out by the Democratic Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg.
Trump’s case against James was dismissed by a federal judge last month, rejecting his assertion that she was motivated by political animus and allowed her civil inquiry into his business operations to proceed.
In that case, a lawyer for James’ office stated in court that the investigation’s findings could justify legal action against the former president, his business, or both.
Although a final decision on whether to bring such an action has not been taken, the attorney Andrew Amer stated at a hearing in Trump’s case against James that “there has clearly been a large amount of information accumulated that may support the launch of an enforcement process.”