Former President Donald Trump left his $250 million civil fraud trial on Wednesday in response to a judge’s denial of a directed verdict in his favor.
The trial revolves around a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2022. The suit alleges that Trump and top executives at The Trump Organization conspired to inflate his net worth on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to facilitate deals and secure loans.
After a cross-examination of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, during which Cohen was asked if Trump instructed him to inflate the figures, Trump’s legal team requested a directed verdict based on Cohen’s testimony.
Clifford Robert, a member of Trump’s legal team, argued that the state’s key witness had contradicted their entire case. He stated, “I can’t think of anything more appropriate now.”
However, Judge Arthur Engoron denied the request, leading Trump to leave the New York courtroom.
“Engoron ordered that some of Trump’s companies be removed from his control and dissolved. The judge also ordered to rescind some of Trump’s business licenses, which would make it almost impossible for the former president to do business in New York,” Newsweek reported.
Upon leaving the courtroom, Trump told reporters, “The witness just admitted that we won the trial and the judge should end this trial immediately. Thank you.”
Trump’s abrupt departure came after Cohen’s return to the stand for the second day of testimony.
During his testimony, Cohen stated that he couldn’t recall if Trump had asked him to inflate asset values on financial records central to the civil case, prompting the request for a directed verdict.
On Cohen’s first day of testimony, he accused Trump of instructing him and another Trump Organization executive to falsely increase asset values on financial statements.
Trump and his legal team had spent much of the initial day challenging Cohen’s credibility, highlighting his criminal history and portraying him as a “serial liar.”
This incident is the latest in a series of clashes in the case, which included Judge Engoron questioning Trump about a comment he made to reporters during a trial break and finding his testimony “not credible” during a hearing about potential violations of a gag order, resulting in a $10,000 fine for the former president.
