The Daily Fuckup

A New York state court order unsealed on Sept. 24, 2021 put the Trump Organization on a short fuse: by Sept. 30, it had to file a report describing the steps it took to preserve, collect and produce hard-copy and electronic documents responsive to New York attorney general subpoenas. The filing did not settle the dispute over the records, and it did not reach the substance of the attorney general’s investigation. It did, though, turn document handling into a court-enforced reporting obligation. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/451685_2020_the_people_of_the_stat_v_the_people_of_the_stat_stipulation_other_314.pdf))

The stipulation and order, dated Sept. 1, said the Trump Organization must provide a report “in reasonable detail” covering actions taken on those records. It also said the company had to keep working to comply with the production duties laid out in an attached exhibit, and it flagged the possibility of a third-party e-discovery firm if the state later concluded the company had not met its obligations. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/451685_2020_the_people_of_the_stat_v_the_people_of_the_stat_stipulation_other_314.pdf))

The order came out of a special proceeding in which the attorney general sought judicial enforcement of subpoenas issued to the Trump Organization and related entities. The document also reflects that the court had kept the matter open because the parties expected continuing disputes over the investigation’s records and testimony. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/451685_2020_the_people_of_the_stat_v_the_people_of_the_stat_stipulation_other_314.pdf))

For now, the practical effect was narrow but clear: the company had to explain how it handled the records, and it had to do it by Sept. 30. The order kept the compliance process moving inside the attorney general’s subpoena-enforcement case. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/451685_2020_the_people_of_the_stat_v_the_people_of_the_stat_stipulation_other_314.pdf))