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☆ Trump is turning his $250 million fraud trial into a presidential campaign event
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Donald Trump has attacked the civil fraud case against him as political. AdvertisementAdvertisementFormer President — and 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner — Donald Trump has long complained that the legal cases against him are political. The New York Attorney General's $250 million civil fraud trial that began Monday morning, he says, is a "witch hunt." One of Trump's lawyers, Alina Habba, lambasted New York Attorney General Letitia James, an elected Democrat. The attorney general's lawsuit alleges that Trump, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and two other Trump Organization executives are liable for fraud for misrepresenting the values of the company's property in financial statements submitted to banks for loans.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, — Donald Trump, General's, Trump, Letitia James, Arthur Engoron, who's, Steven Cheung, Jason Miller, Alina Habba, Habba, James, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Bryan Woolston Kevin C, Wallace, didn't, Cheung, Miller, Engoron, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Donald M, Middlebrooks, Seth Wenig Middlebrooks, Michael Cohen, Donald Bender Organizations: Service, Republican, The New York, New York, New, Trump Organization, Trump, AP, Democratic National Committee, Supreme Locations: Manhattan, New York, Florida, York

CNN —Former President Donald Trump is asking Judge Tanya Chutkan to recuse herself from the 2020 election subversion case against him brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Trump, in a new court filing Monday, pointed to comments that Chutkan made in cases involving January 6 US Capitol rioters. “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President,” Chutkan wrote in that ruling. Trump’s request that she not oversee the criminal case against him is likely an uphill battle, as it was filed with Chutkan herself. Trump also previously sought the removal of the judge overseeing the New York criminal case against him related to hush money payments.

Persons: Donald Trump, Tanya Chutkan, Jack Smith, Trump, Chutkan, Trump’s, ”, ” Chutkan, Obama, … It’s, ” Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Donald Middlebrooks, Juan Merchan, Kamala Harris ’, Merchan Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Justice Department, Trump, New, Biden Locations: Florida, New York

☆ Family of woman who died from ingesting kratom, a legal opioid-like herbal extract, awarded $11 million in damages
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A 39-year-old mother of four died in 2021 after ingesting kratom, a legal herbal extract. The seller, Kratom Distro, has now been ordered to pay her family and estate $11 million. Kratom was banned by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2016 but the move was quickly overturned. Kratom Distro did not fight the lawsuit, and the company's owner gave no comment on the judgment when approached by The Guardian. Kratom Distro did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: Kratom Distro, Kratom, Krystal Talavera, Biagio Vultaggio, Vultaggio, Talavera, Mitragynine, Devin Filippelli, Donald Middlebrooks Organizations: Drug, Administration, Service, Guardian, The Guardian, American Kratom Association Locations: Wall, Silicon, Southeast Asia, Florida, Beach County, Mississippi, Louisiana

☆ Abortion pill ruling puts 'judge shopping' concerns back in spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The Alliance For Hippocratic Medicine wants Judge Kacsmaryk to nullify the FDA's medical approval of mifepristone, which would effectively ban the abortion pill across the US. They argue plaintiffs are skirting the usual process of assigning cases randomly — which is mainly intended to "avoid judge shopping," as one federal court explains. Medication abortion is the most common form of the procedure in the U.S.An attorney for the ADF has rebuffed accusations of judge shopping. Trump was accused of judge shopping for Florida federal Judge Aileen Cannon, whom he appointed, when he filed a sweeping lawsuit in 2022 against his former political rival Hillary Clinton in Cannon's division in Florida. Ziegler echoed the view that even the appearance of judge shopping can erode trust in the courts.

☆ Notable legal clouds that continue to hang over Donald Trump in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Dan Berman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and says the probe by Bragg, a Democrat, is politically motivated. According to the lawsuit, the Trump Organization deceived lenders, insurers and tax authorities by inflating the value of his properties using misleading appraisals. A federal judge ruled that Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray can be deposed for two hours each as part of the lawsuit. “What (Trump’s lawsuit) lacks in substance and legal support it seeks to substitute with length, hyperbole, and the settling of scores and grievances,” US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks wrote. Woodward later released “The Trump Tapes,” an audiobook featuring eight hours of raw interviews with Trump interspersed with the author’s commentary.

☆ Trump's lawyers keep getting in trouble with judges. Here are the 17 sanctioned so far.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Lawyers representing Trump keep getting sanctioned by courts. Many of Trump's lawyers, even if they are not sanctioned, end up needing lawyers of their own to ward off the worst consequences. Insider identified 17 lawyers who have been personally sanctioned because of their work for Trump. The least successful, however, was a sprawling lawsuit Trump filed against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and several other figures linked to Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. He was part of Trump's "Elite Strike Force" of lawyers trying to convince judges to cancel votes and have Trump declared the victor.

☆ Trump appeals nearly $1 million in sanctions for 'frivolous' suit he filed against Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton attend campaign rallies in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, October 10, 2016 and Manchester, New Hampshire U.S., October 24, 2016 in a combination of file photos. Former President Donald Trump and one of his lawyers said Monday they are appealing nearly $1 million in sanctions imposed on them for what a federal judge called their "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and more than two dozen other defendants. The court filing about the appeal came days after a lawyer for Trump and his attorney Alina Habba told the judge in the case they were willing to put up a bond of $1,031,788 to cover the costs of the sanctions while the federal Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit considered the matter. In imposing those sanctions Jan. 19, Judge John Middlebrooks said in an order, "We are confronted with a lawsuit that should never have been filed, which was completely frivolous, both factually and legally, and which was brought in bad faith for an improper purpose." Trump's suit, which sought $70 million in damages, accused Clinton, former FBI officials, the Democratic National Committee and others of conspiring to create a "false narrative" that Trump and his 2016 presidential campaign against Clinton were colluding with Russia to try to win the election that year.

☆ Trump's go-to attorney Alina Habba is withdrawing from E. Jean Carroll's rape claim. Last month, a federal judge sanctioned her $1 million for bad lawyering.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Alina Habba is withdrawing from representing Donald Trump in E. Jean Carroll's rape claim. Habba told Insider she continues to be dedicated to Trump. The move comes two weeks after a federal judge in Florida sanctioned Habba and Trump in a separate case and fined them $1 million. In a statement provided to Insider, Habba told Insider she was dedicated to representing Trump in court. "While I appreciate the left-wing media's attempt to fabricate any story to fit their narrative, I am so happy to have Joe step in and assist," Habba told Insider.

☆ News outlets raced to publish Trump’s lawsuit against Woodward. Experts say the suit ‘has no legal merit whatsoever’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Trump this week filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, alleging that when Woodward published audio of their interviews in his audiobook it breached his rights by constituting copyright violations. Most legal experts CNN contacted on Tuesday quickly dismissed Trump’s lawsuit against Woodward as meritless. But instead of major outlets pausing to gather this much-needed context after Trump filed his suit against Woodward, most newsrooms simply published stories echoing his complaint. Judge Donald Middlebrooks pointed to Trump’s “pattern of misusing the courts to serve political purposes” as he took note of several other failed lawsuits Trump has brought in recent years. It is also dismaying given the larger discussion among the press over the years about not succumbing hook, line, and sinker for Trump’s stunts.

☆ Donald Trump sues Bob Woodward for releasing audio of their interviews
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Former President Donald Trump has sued journalist Bob Woodward for copyright violations, claiming Woodward released audio from their interviews without Trump’s consent. Woodward conducted several interviews with Trump for “Rage,” the author’s second book on the former president that hit bookstores in September 2020. Woodward later released “The Trump Tapes,” an audiobook featuring eight hours of raw interviews with Trump interspersed with the author’s commentary. That book, which went on sale October 25, 2022, contains the 20 interviews Woodward conducted with Trump from 2016 through 2020, including those for “Rage.”But Trump, in the lawsuit filed Monday in the Northern District of Florida, claims he did not give Woodward permission to release the audio of the interviews. In that case, US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks of the Southern District of Florida wrote that Trump has demonstrated a “pattern of misusing the courts to serve political purposes” as he ticked through several other failed lawsuits Trump has brought in recent years.

☆ Trump faces October trial in New York after dropping final bid to dodge Letitia James' $250 million fraud lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump on Tuesday withdrew his last appeal of New York's three-year probe of the Trump Organization. The withdrawal clears the way for an October trial in Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million fraud lawsuit. Trump's federal appeal had sought to revive a December 2021 federal lawsuit that he'd hoped would end what he described as James' politically biased attack on the Trump Organization. The Manhattan DA had separately tried the Trump Organization criminally, and a Manhattan jury found the company guilty of a payroll tax-fraud scheme in December. Trump has a Thursday deadline to file an answer to James' lawsuit.

☆ Trump claims lawsuits are a conspiracy to 'keep him busy' ahead of 2024. He's the one making lawsuits political, judges say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Judges have repeatedly slammed Trump for using lawsuits "to advance a political narrative." "Keep Trump busy, because this is the way you defeat him, to keep him busy with litigation," Trump testified in the deposition, speaking in the third person. US District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks said that Trump has a "pattern of misusing the courts to serve political purposes." Trump's lawyers have to deal with his 2024 runIn the Trump lawsuits that haven't been dismissed, those trials may need to be scheduled around his 2024 campaign events. A trial for Carroll's claims is set for April of this year, and James' lawsuit against Trump is on track for October.

☆ Trump Hit With $1 Million Fine for Lawsuit Deemed Frivolous
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Byron Tau | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—A federal judge in Florida levied a nearly $1 million fine this week on former President Donald Trump and his attorney, Alina Habba, over their filing of what he called a frivolous lawsuit alleging a political conspiracy during the 2016 election. “This case should never have been brought,” U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks wrote in a scathing 46-page order imposing sanctions against the former president and his legal team. He called Mr. Trump “a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries” and declared the former president jointly liable with his lawyer for paying the fine.

Former President Donald Trump has dropped the federal lawsuit he filed in Florida against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump's lawyers filed a notice of voluntary dismissal in the case before U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks on Friday morning. The suit charged James — who's filed a $250 million lawsuit against Trump and his company in New York state court — has "repeatedly abused her position as Attorney General for the State of New York to pursue a vendetta against President Trump." Trump had made similar claims against James in state and federal court in New York, both of which were dismissed. "Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries.

☆ Judge sanctions Trump and his lawyer nearly $1 million for 'frivolous' lawsuit targeting Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A federal judge on Thursday sanctioned former President Donald Trump and one of his top attorneys nearly $1 million for filing a sprawling lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and other perceived political enemies "that should never have been filed." No reasonable lawyer would have filed it," Middlebrooks wrote, adding that the suit was intended "for a political purpose." He knew full well the impact of his actions,” Middlebrooks wrote. “As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Habba.”NBC News has asked Habba and a Trump spokesperson for comment. Such lawsuits, Middlebrooks said, undermined the rule of law, siphoned resources "from those who have suffered actual legal harm" and painted judges as partisans.

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☆ Trump and lawyer sanctioned almost $1 million for 'frivolous' lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge on Thursday imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions on former President Donald Trump and his lawyer for filing a since-dismissed "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and many others, which had claimed they tried to rig the 2016 presidential election in her favor by smearing Trump. Middlebrooks in his order Thursday noted that "Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries." "He knew full well the impact of his actions ... As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, filed his suit in March against Clinton, who was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. Middlebrooks earlier dismissed the lawsuit against Clinton and all other defendants "with prejudice," which bars Trump from refiling the complaint.

☆ Trump dropped his lawsuit against Letitia James a day after a judge fined him $1 million for a frivolous case against Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On Thursday, a judge fined Trump $1 million over his "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton. Friday, Trump dropped another lawsuit before the same judge, this one against NY AG Letitia James. He wrote that like the Clinton suit, the James suit "had all the telltale signs of being both vexatious and frivolous." On Thursday, Middlebrooks went further, issuing a scathing rebuke of Trump's legal tactics along with fining Trump and his lawyers for bringing the case. In that case, too, a New York state judge recently threatened money sanctions in response to what he called Trump's pattern of "borderline frivolous" litigation.

☆ Trump drops lawsuit against New York AG after judge in same case sanctions him almost $1 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald Trump stands on the 18th green during the Pro-Am tournament before the LIV Golf series at Trump National Doral, Oct. 27, 2022. Former President Donald Trump on Friday morning voluntarily dropped a longshot federal lawsuit in Florida against New York's attorney general — a day after the same judge in the case sanctioned him and his lawyer nearly $1 million for filing another, "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and many other defendants. Middlebrooks ordered Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and his lawyer Alina Habba to pay Clinton and other defendants around $938,0000 for filing the suit that the judge previously dismissed. Trump's suit had accused Clinton and the others of conspiring to create a false narrative during the 2016 presidential election that his campaign was colluding with Russia. Middlebrooks in that order cited how Trump has responded in court in New York to James' years-long civil investigation of his company, the Trump Organization, as one of the multiple examples of "a pattern of abuse of the courts" by the Republican former president.

☆ Trump ordered to pay Hillary Clinton $171,631 in legal fees over bogus lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump and his attorney were ordered to pay $171,631 to Hillary Clinton in legal fees. Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks punished the two for filing a "completely frivolous" lawsuit. In a filing on Thursday, Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks ordered the pair to pay Clinton and ten other groups a total of nearly $1 million in legal fees over a "completely frivolous" lawsuit against Clinton and a long list of Trump's political foes. In Thursday's filing, Middlebrooks slammed Trump and Habba over the case. Hours after Middlebrooks' filing became public, Trump withdrew a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James that also happened to be before Middlebrooks.

Intended for a political purpose, noneof the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim," Middlebrooks wrote in the 45-page written ruling. Representatives for Trump and his lead attorney in the case, Alina Habba, could not be reached for comment by Reuters on Thursday evening. Trump sued Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, claiming that she and other Democrats sought to rig that election by falsely accusing his campaign of links to Russia. read moreMiddlebrooks, who was appointed to the bench by President Bill Clinton in 1997, dismissed the case in September, calling the lawsuit "a two-hundred-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him." He has launched a run for the 2024 presidential election, setting up a potential rematch against Biden.

☆ Judge fines Trump and his lawyer almost $1 million over 'frivolous' lawsuit targeting Hillary Clinton and others
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A federal judge ordered Donald Trump and his attorney to pay nearly $1 million in sanctions. The pair were fined for filing a "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and 30 others. The case was dismissed in September, with the judge deciding it had no merit as a lawsuit. The pair were fined for filing a "frivolous" lawsuit against former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as well as 30 other perceived political enemies. In November, Middlebrooks fined a group of Trump's lawyers over the lawsuit.

☆ Trump's lawyers keep getting slammed for filing conspiratorial lawsuits. Here are the 16 sanctioned so far.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Lawyers representing Trump keep getting sanctioned by courts. Sixteen different lawyers have been sanctioned over failed lawsuits brought on the former president's behalf. Many of Trump's lawyers, even if they are not sanctioned, end up needing lawyers of their own to ward off the worst consequences. Still, as many 16 lawyers have been personally sanctioned because of their work for Trump, and Insider has compiled a list. The least successful, however, was a sprawling lawsuit Trump filed against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and several other figures linked to Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

☆ Judge tells Trump lawyers to stop filing pointless lawsuits to slow down NY investigations into his businesses
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A judge called an effort by Trump Org lawyers to slow an investigation "frivolous" and "vexatious." The federal judge denied the bid for an injunction to stop the release of some materials. The NY attorney general accuses Trump of fraud and is trying to ban him from future business in the state. Middlebrooks also noted in his ruling that a New York court previously dismissed Trump's efforts to try stop James' investigation. James accuses Trump of committing fraud with his businesses, and is trying to permanently ban Trump and his three oldest children from conducting business in New York.

☆ The notable legal clouds that continue to hang over Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Dan Berman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

CNN —All eyes are on former President Donald Trump, whose third White House bid has already become mired in controversy. The Justice Department investigation continues into whether documents from the Trump White House were illegally mishandled when they were brought to Mar-a-Lago in Florida after he left office. Any unauthorized retention or destruction of White House documents could violate a criminal law that prohibits the removal or destruction of official government records, legal experts told CNN. During the panel’s hearings this summer, fingers were pointed at GOP lawmakers and Trump allies who tried to help overturn the election and Trump White House officials who failed to stop the former president’s actions. Recently, DOJ moved to compel additional testimony from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone and deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin.

☆ Trump Lawyers Sanctioned for Filing ‘Frivolous’ Lawsuit Against Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Jan Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Alina Habba, with Peter Ticktin, led a group of lawyers for former President Donald Trump in a case dismissed in September. A federal judge in Florida has imposed monetary sanctions on a team of former President Donald Trump’s lawyers, castigating them for filing a “frivolous” lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and other Democrats earlier this year. In a scathing 19-page decision, U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks said a group of lawyers for Mr. Trump, led by Alina Habba and Peter Ticktin, showed a “cavalier attitude towards facts” throughout the brief history of the case.

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