New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday filed motions stating that Ivanka Trump should be compelled to testify in her father’s $250 million fraud trial.
The attorney general sought Trump’s testimony even though she was dismissed from the case.
Last week, Donald Trump’s daughter filed papers with the New York Supreme Court arguing that she did not have to testify because subpoenas had not been properly served.
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“The NYAG, which never deposed Ms. Trump, is effectively trying to force her back into this case from which she was dismissed by a unanimous decision of the Appellate Division, First Department,” her legal team wrote. “Ms. Trump is not a party in this action. Nor is Ms. Trump a New York resident. It is black-letter law that, given those two facts, Ms. Trump is beyond the jurisdiction of this Court.”
In a filing on Thursday, James disputed the arguments.
“Ms. Trump was served properly at the New York addresses and actual place of business of multiple entities that are under her control; she should be compelled to testify in this proceeding,” James wrote. “But even beyond that, Ms. Trump remains financially and professionally intertwined with the Trump Organization and other Defendants and can be called as a person still under their control.”
“Finally, Ms. Trump has been and remains a litigant in the OAG’s concurrent, still active, special proceeding, and appeared in and litigated this action without contesting personal jurisdiction,” the motion added. “These are sufficient, ample bases to compel Ms. Trump’s testimony.”
Image: Official White House Photo by Joyce N Boghosian