NEW YORK: The New York appeals court has rejected Donald Trump’s request to delay his civil fraud trial over accusations that the former US President inflated the value of his properties by billions of dollars.
The appeals court on Thursday effectively turned aside for now a lawsuit Trump filed against the trial judge, Arthur F. Engoron. The lawsuit had sought to delay the trial, and ultimately throw out many of the accusations against the former President, The New York Times reported.
The ruling came two days after Justice Engoron issued an order, finding Trump liable for having committed fraud by persistently overvaluing his assets and stripping him of control over his New York properties.
With the ruling, the civil fraud trial against Trump could now begin as soon as Monday which will be presided by Justice Engoron without a jury.
Although the former President can still appeal Justice Engoron's Tuesday order, it is unclear whether the appeals court would consider that
Justice Engoron on Tuesday sided with the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, who last year sued Trump, accusing him of inflating his net worth to obtain favourable loan terms from banks.