Donald Trump is no longer in contempt of court, a New York judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Arthur Engoron, who held the former president in contempt on April 25 for his delay in responding to the New York attorney general’s political subpoena, said he now meets the conditions needed to lift the sanction after a protracted legal battle. Trump last month paid $110,000 in fines imposed as a result of the contempt finding. The money, paid directly to Attorney General Letitia James’ office, will continue to be held in an escrow account while Trump appeals the original contempt finding, Engoron said Wednesday. Trump and his two oldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., are set to testify under oath in the James investigation beginning July 15, after the state’s highest court rejected his latest attempt to avoid a subpoena. “While we are pleased that the court lifted the contempt finding, we maintain that it was completely unwarranted and inappropriate in the first place,” said Trump attorney Alina Haba. “We will proceed with our appeal to secure justice for our client.” A message seeking comment was left at James’ office. The attorney general asked Engoron to find Trump in contempt of court after she failed to produce any documents to meet a March 31 deadline to comply with the terms of her subpoena. Engoron fined Trump $10,000 a day for noncompliance, but stopped accruing the fine in early May when it appeared a settlement of the dispute was imminent. Engoron initially agreed on May 11 to lift Trump’s contempt order if he paid the fines and met certain other conditions, including submitting affidavits outlining his search efforts and his company’s document retention policies. Engoron and the attorney general’s office were not satisfied with the level of detail in Trump’s submissions, leaving the contempt finding in place while new affidavits were prepared. The judge also ordered a company hired by Trump to help with the investigation, HaystackID, to complete an investigation of 17 boxes kept in off-site storage, report its findings and turn over any related documents. That process was completed last month, James’ office said. Engoron stopped collecting the fine on May 6 when Trump’s lawyers filed 66 pages of court documents detailing his and his lawyers’ efforts to locate the subpoenaed records. He previously warned he could reinstate it, retroactive to May 7, if his conditions are not met. James, a Democrat, said her three-year investigation uncovered evidence that Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, misrepresented the value of assets such as skyscrapers and golf courses on financial statements for more than a decade. Her subpoena sought documents related to his annual financial statements, development projects and even communications with Forbes magazine, where he tried to portray himself as a wealthy businessman. Trump, a Republican, has denied the allegations. He called James’ investigation “racist” and a politically motivated “witch hunt.” James is Black. Trump’s lawyers accused her of selective prosecution. Trump’s lawyers argue that James is using her political investigation to gain access to information that could then be used against him in a parallel criminal investigation being conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, also a Democrat. A federal judge last month dismissed a lawsuit Trump brought against James, rejecting his claim that he targeted him out of political animosity and allowing the political investigation into his business practices to continue. At a court hearing on the matter, a lawyer for James’ office said evidence found in the investigation could support legal action against the former president, his company or both. The lawyer, Andrew Amer, said at a hearing on Trump’s lawsuit against James that “there has clearly been a substantial body of evidence gathered that could support the filing of an enforcement action,” although no final decision has been made on whether to file one. of such action. .
