Global InformationPersonal and business legal affairs of Donald Trump information
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From the 1970s until he was elected president in 2016, Donald Trump and his businesses were involved in over 4,000 legal cases in United States federal and state courts, including battles with casino patrons, million-dollar real estate lawsuits, personal defamation lawsuits, and over 100 business tax disputes.[1] He has also been accused of sexual harassment and sexual assault,[2][3] with one accusation resulting in him being held civilly liable.[4]
In 2015, Trump's lawyer Alan Garten called Trump's legal entanglement "a natural part of doing business" in the U.S.[5][6] While litigation is indeed common in the real estate industry,[5] Trump has been involved in more legal cases than his fellow magnates Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., Donald Bren, Stephen M. Ross, Sam Zell, and Larry Silverstein combined.[7] Numerous legal matters and investigations occurred during and after Trump's presidency, some being of historical import.
Between October 2021 and July 2022 alone, the Republican National Committee paid more than US$2 million to attorneys representing Trump in his presidential, personal, and business capacities.[8] The New York Times published an overview of his legal involvements as of September 2022.[9] In January 2023, a federal judge fined Trump and his attorney nearly $1 million, characterizing him as "a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries".[10]
On December 6, 2022, the parent company of Trump's many businesses, The Trump Organization, was convicted on 17 criminal charges.[11][12][13]
On March 30, 2023, in People v. Trump, he was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan, New York, on 34 state felony criminal counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to an adult film actress prior to his election to the presidency. He was arraigned on April 4, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to all counts.[14][15] The trial started on April 15, 2024.[16]
On May 9, 2023, regarding E. Jean Carroll's claims of defamation and sexual assault, an anonymous jury[17] found Trump liable for sexual abuse (the New York definition of which constitutes the common understanding of rape, as a judge had to explicate in response to disinformation from Trump's legal team)[18] and defamation against Carroll and ordered Trump to pay her $5 million in damages.[4][19] On January 26, 2024, Trump was ordered to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million in damages in a second defamation lawsuit.[20]
In June 2023, Trump was indicted on federal criminal charges relating to his handling of classified documents and was arraigned in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for May 14, 2024.[21]
On August 14, 2023, Trump was criminally indicted by a grand jury in Georgia on state election-related charges. Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney Fani Willis investigated his efforts to overturn that state's 2020 presidential election results.[22]
On September 26, 2023, in New York v. Trump, a judge issued a summary judgment finding Trump and his two adult sons liable for fraud regarding fraudulent overvaluation of The Trump Organization's assets and Trump's net worth.[23] On February 16, 2024, following a three-month trial, Trump, The Trump Organization, his sons, and the former chief financial officer were fined a total of $364 million.[24] A week later, the court finalized that Trump must also pay $100 million in interest.[25] On March 25, 2024, the required bond payment was reduced to $175 million on appeal, which Trump paid on April 1, 2024, thus averting seizure of his properties and assets.[26] The original judgment (plus interest) against the defendants still stands.[27]
On January 12, 2024, a case regarding an alleged pyramid scheme was dismissed from federal court, with plaintiffs recommended to file cases in state courts.[28]
In 2024,[29] Trump will also face trial on federal charges related to the 2020 election.[30]
- ^ Penzenstadler, Nick; Reilly, Steve (July 7, 2016). "Donald Trump: Three decades, 4,095 lawsuits". USA Today. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ Zadrozny, Brandy (January 17, 2017). "Summer Zervos Suing Donald Trump for Defamation". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ Stockman, Rachel (February 23, 2016). "Exclusive: Inside The $125 Million Donald Trump Sexual Assault Lawsuit". Law and Crime. Archived from the original on December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ a b Queen, Jack; Cohen, Luc (May 9, 2023). "Jury finds Trump sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll, awards her $5 mln". Reuters. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Mullins, Brody; Oberman, Jim (March 13, 2016). "Trump's Long Trail of Litigation". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
Litigation isn't unusual for resolving business disputes or enforcing contracts, particularly in the real-estate industry. It is difficult to determine whether Mr. Trump files more lawsuits than others with similarly broad business interests. The Republican Party has long argued that excessive litigation in the U.S. increases the costs of goods and services and limits job creation. Republican leaders have pushed, in particular, for medical-malpractice changes, to reduce fraud in the asbestos-claims process and to cut down on what they see as frivolous litigation in general. Mr. Trump's political opponents have cited his pattern of litigiousness to buttress their contention that he isn't a true conservative.
- ^ Isikoff, Michael (August 30, 2015). "How Trump could turn the presidency into a 'litigation circus'". Yahoo! Politics. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
He is a litigation magnet who has been the target (and the initiator) of hundreds of civil suits over the past several decades.... Indeed, Trump's penchant for litigation – and punching back against his critics in court – has shown no signs of abating while he is on the campaign trail.
- ^ Penzenstadler, Nick; Page, Susan (June 1, 2016). "Exclusive: Trump's 3,500 lawsuits unprecedented for a presidential nominee". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ Klein, Charlotte (July 28, 2022). "The RNC Has Been Bankrolling Trump's Legal Bills. If He Runs, They're Cutting Him Off". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ Baker, Peter (September 19, 2022). "The Story So Far: Where 6 Investigations Into Donald Trump Stand - The former president finds himself without the power of the presidency, staring at a host of prosecutors and lawyers who have him and his associates in their sights". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Haberman, Maggie (January 31, 2023). "Trump's Well-Worn Legal Playbook Starts to Look Frayed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ Protess, Ben; Bromwich, Jonah E.; Rashbaum, William K.; Fadulu, Lola (December 6, 2022). "Trump Organization Found Guilty in Tax Fraud Scheme". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ Kates, Graham (December 6, 2022). "Trump Organization companies found guilty on all charges in tax fraud trial in New York". CBS News. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ Jacobs, Shayna (December 6, 2022). "Trump Organization convicted in N.Y. criminal tax fraud trial". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
Two Trump Organization entities — the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corp. — were on trial. Both were found guilty on all charges.
- ^ "Read the Donald Trump Indictment". The New York Times. April 4, 2023. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ Jacobs, Shayna; Wells, Dylan; Nakamura, David; Alemany, Jacqueline. "Former president Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ Orden, Erica (March 25, 2024). "Trump's first criminal trial is now set for April 15". Politico. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ Berman, Dan (March 23, 2023). "Carroll v. Trump jurors will be anonymous, judge says, citing Trump's reaction to hush money investigation". CNN. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (July 19, 2023). "Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll". WaPo. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Stempel, Jonathan (March 28, 2023). "Trump fails to narrow rape accuser's case as trial looms". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ Boboltz, Sara (January 26, 2024). "Jury Awards E. Jean Carroll Over $80 Million In Case Against Trump". HuffPost. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Sneed, Tierney; Scannell, Kara (July 21, 2023). "Judge sets May 2024 trial date for Donald Trump in documents case". CNN Politics. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ Sangal, Aditi (August 14, 2023). "Live updates: Trump indicted in Georgia election probe by Fulton County grand jury". CNN. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ Scannell, Kara; del Valle, Lauren (September 26, 2023). "New York judge finds Donald Trump liable for fraud". CNN. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Bustillo, Ximena (February 16, 2024). "Trump ordered to pay over $355M for fraudulent business practices in New York". NPR. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ Scannell, Kara (February 23, 2024). "Judge formally says Trump owes $454 million in civil fraud case, countdown starts for him to put up the money for appeal". CNN. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ Queen, Jack (April 1, 2024). "Trump posts $175 million bond in civil fraud case, averting asset seizures". Reuters. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Shabad, Rebecca; Gregorian, Dareh (March 25, 2024). "N.Y. appeals court reduces Trump's bond in his civil fraud case to $175 million, a victory for the former president". NBC News. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ Schoonover, Nika (January 12, 2024). "Federal judge dumps pyramid scheme lawsuit against Trump". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Lybrand, Holmes (February 2, 2024). "Federal judge in Trump's DC election interference case postpones trial". CNN. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ Sneed, Tierney; Lybrand, Holmes; Cohen, Marshall; Cohen, Zachary; Cole, Devan; Rabinowitz, Hannah; Polantz, Katelyn (August 1, 2023). "Donald Trump has been indicted in special counsel's 2020 election interference probe". CNN. Retrieved August 1, 2023.