Last Tuesday, an appeals court in New York dismissed Ivanka Trump from the fraud lawsuit brought against the Trump Organization by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Associated Press reported.
The civil suit accuses Donald Trump and his company of padding his net worth to mislead banks, insurance companies, and others about the value of his assets, including his Mar-a-Lago estate and golf courses.
The suit also named as defendants Trump’s three eldest children, Ivanka, Don Jr., and Eric, as well as several executives of the Trump Organization.
But in a ruling last Tuesday, the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division dismissed Ivanka Trump from the suit due to the state’s statute of limitations.
The appeals court found that while the claims of alleged wrongdoing from after February 2016 were permissible, Ivanka Trump had already stepped back from the Trump Organization by that time and was not accused of any misconduct after that time.
The appeals court left it up to a lower court judge to decide whether other parts of the civil suit could also be barred by the statute of limitations.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Letitia James’ office said it planned to continue pursuing the case.
Delaney Kempner, a spokeswoman for Attorney General James told the New York Times that in its three-year investigation, the Attorney General’s office compiled “a mountain of evidence” showing that Trump and his company “falsely and fraudulently” misrepresented the value of “multiple assets” for “significant economic gain,” and none of the facts have changed.
Trump attorney Christopher Kise said in a statement that the appellate court ruling is the “first step” in ending Attorney General James’ case which “should never have been filed.”
Attorney General James is seeking a $250 million financial penalty and a ban to prevent Trump and his family from doing business in New York State.
The trial is scheduled to begin in October.
