Trump lawyer Alina Habba on New York fraud verdict: ‘I don’t have high hopes’

by Nick Robertson - 02/15/24 12:07 PM ET

Trump attorney Alina Habba cast doubt on the outcome of the New York civil fraud trial against former President Trump, saying she thinks her client will be unhappy with the decision expected Friday.

“If I could file the appeal now, I would,” Habba said in a Newsmax interview Wednesday. “There’s no surprises coming here.”

“I’ll be loud and booming right after the decision,” she continued. “I don’t have high hopes.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) sued Trump in 2022, claiming the former president falsely altered his net worth on financial statements to receive tax and insurance benefits for the Trump Organization’s various assets. She has argued it is evidence of fraud, while Trump has maintained there was no fraud.

The trial ended in January after two months of testimony from 40 witnesses, including Trump’s former lawyer, top executives for the organization, Trump’s adult children and the former president himself.

Judge Arthur Engoron already ruled that Trump committed fraud in his real estate empire and he is expected to issue a penalty ruling Friday, according to sources familiar with the matter.

In addition to a $370 million financial penalty, James has asked Engoron to ban Trump from New York’s real estate business for life.

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Trump allies, led by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), have alleged Engoron is politically biased, and that James also broke ethics rules in prosecution. Stefanik has filed complaints against both parties.

“I’ve been on weeks and weeks and weeks of trial in New York, and the corruption runs deep,” Habba said. “The Trump derangement syndrome, quite frankly, runs even deeper. They can’t see straight. They can’t apply law to fact.”

Tags Arthur Engoron Donald Trump Letitia James trump business fraud trump new york fraud case trump trial