The Daily Fuckup

A New York judge on Jan. 6, 2023, denied Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss the state civil-fraud case against him, the Trump Organization and other defendants. The order let the lawsuit stay on track after New York Attorney General Letitia James filed it in September 2022. ([nycourts.gov](https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/pdfs/2023/2023_30027.pdf))

Justice Arthur F. Engoron wrote that the state had alleged a yearslong pattern of fraud tied to financial statements used with lenders and insurers. In the same order, he denied the defendants’ dismissal motions. The decision did not decide the claims themselves; it said the case could proceed. ([nycourts.gov](https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/pdfs/2023/2023_30027.pdf))

The ruling also fit into a broader sequence already unfolding in the case. Before the Jan. 6 order, the court had granted a preliminary injunction and appointed former judge Barbara S. Jones as an independent monitor to oversee certain financial disclosures by the defendants. ([nycourts.gov](https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/pdfs/2023/2023_30027.pdf))

One part of the complaint did not survive intact. Engoron dismissed claims against Ivanka Trump on limitations grounds, while the main fraud case against the remaining defendants continued. The litigation centers on allegations that Trump and his business entities inflated asset values in dealings with banks and insurers, exposing them to civil penalties and other remedies if the claims are proved. ([nycourts.gov](https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/pdfs/2023/2023_30027.pdf))