(FreedomBeacon.com)- Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate firm, is now being held in contempt of court since it has refused to comply with subpoenas issued to it as part of the investigation into the Trump Organization.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the subpoenas to investigate the relationship between the firm and former President Donald Trump’s business as part of the civil investigation she’s leading into how the business may have overvalued and undervalued its holdings.
This week, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that the firm was in contempt for not complying. Starting on Thursday, they will be fined $10,000 each day that they continue to not comply with the order.
In a statement following the decision, James said:
“Cushman & Wakefield’s work for Donald Trump and the Trump Organization is clearly relevant to our investigation, and we’re pleased that the court has recognized that and taken action to force Cushman to comply with our subpoenas. No person or company, no matter how powerful, is above the law.”
Despite the decision being handed down, a spokesperson for Cushman & Wakefield said that the company would appeal the outcome. The spokesperson issued a statement that read:
“The ruling to hold Cushman & Wakefield in contempt demonstrates a failure to understand the extreme lengths Cushman has gone to comply with the Court’s order. We have gone to great expense and effort to quickly identify, collect, review and produce the massive set of documents requested by the OAG, and we have now produced over hundreds of thousands of pages of documents and over 650 appraisals since the last subpoena was issued in February 2022.”
James initially issued the subpoenas earlier this year, and then in April filed a motion with the courts to force them to comply. The courts granted that motion later on in April.
Cushman & Wakefield has worked with the Trump Organization over the years for real estate transactions. They have provided brokerage services and appraisals for some of the organization’s properties that are the subject of James’ investigation.
The firm has said that it has complied with the attorney general’s subpoenas in the past, but James continued to say that it hasn’t fully complied with everything she has requested.
Specifically, Cushman & Wakefield has apparently refused to turn over information related to appraisals it did on three properties that the Trump Organization owns. Those properties are the Seven Springs estate, which is located in Westchester, New York; the Trump National Golf Club located in Los Angeles, California; and 40 Wall Street located in Manhattan.
Court documents also say that the company hasn’t turned over information pertaining to the overall business relationship that it has with the Trump Organization.
Yet, the company says that it is doing everything it can to comply with James’ investigation. In the statement, they said:
“Cushman disagrees with any suggestion that the firm has not exercised diligence and good faith in complying with the Court’s order, and we will be appealing this decision.”
