New York judge denies motion from Trump and family to dismiss $250 million lawsuit

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By Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — A New York state judge on Friday denied motions by former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump to dismiss a $250 million lawsuit by the New York attorney general, which saw some of the arguments as “frivolous”.

Judge Arthur Engoron previously rejected some of the Trumps’ legal arguments when he imposed a monitor on the Trump Organization last year.

On Friday, in a written order, he ruled that the Trumps’ reiteration of the arguments was “without merit.”

“Reading these arguments is, to quote baseball sage Lawrence Peter (‘Yogi’) Berra, ‘Dj vu again,'” the judge wrote.

Engoron considered imposing sanctions on the Trumps’ lawyers but decided against it.

“Sophisticated defense counsel should have known better,” the judge wrote, adding, “In its discretion this Court will not impose sanctions, which the Court believes are unnecessary, having made its point. “

The judge also rejected the Trumps’ arguments that some of the alleged fraudulent conduct occurred beyond the statute of limitations allowed under the law.

Ivanka Trump, who left the business to go to the White House in 2017, has argued that the claims against her are time-barred and that she did not personally falsify any business records. The judge said the attorney general’s office was allegedly responsible “enough” for Trump to survive a motion to dismiss.

On a motion to dismiss the judge must give more favorable weight to the plaintiffs’ allegations.

New York Attorney General Letitia James first filed the lawsuit in September, in which she alleged the Trumps used fraudulent financial statements to obtain favorable insurance rates and loans and tax benefits. The Trumps have said the investigation is politically motivated.

In the months since, Donald Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing, has tried to block the James investigation through multiple legal channels.

In December, a federal judge in Florida denied his request to block James’ office from obtaining records from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which he used to hold his companies when he became president in 2017.

Donald Trump filed the civil suit in November, hours after a New York judge rejected an effort to move James’ lawsuit to another division of New York state court.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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