New York AG asks judge to sanction Trump, legal team for raising failed arguments

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) in a new filing asked a state judge to sanction former President Trump, his two adult sons and their legal team for $20,000, saying they continue to bring up arguments already rejected in court.

James — who is suing the former president, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, the Trump Organization and others for $250 million over allegations that they falsely inflated their assets — argued Tuesday that arguments raised by Trump’s legal team have been struck down twice by the court. An appeals court also separately rejected the claims.

When the Trump legal team raised the arguments the second time, the judge noted that they “were borderline frivolous even the first time defendants made them” and said that a “sophisticated defense counsel should have known better,” according to Tuesday’s filing.

However, the judge said at the time sanctions were “unnecessary in light of the Court ‘having made its point.’”

James asked the court to fine the defendants and their legal team the maximum allowable amount, noting they “were previously admonished by the Court that their conduct in raising previously-rejected arguments was frivolous and sanctionable.” 

Trump, his sons and the other defendants would collectively owe $10,000, and their legal team would owe another $10,000, under the fines proposed by the attorney general.

The civil suit, which is set to go to trial in less than a month, is one of many legal battles facing the former president in the coming months — including four criminal indictments and a second defamation case brought by author E. Jean Carroll.