Trump lawyer Alina Habba criticized the $355 million ruling against former president Donald Trump in a New York fraud case, calling the order “absolutely absurd” and the numbers “ridiculous.”
Habba argued there was no breach of contract, victims, or damages, as banks testified to having no issues working with Trump.
She questioned how Attorney General Letitia James could value Trump properties and called the judge “known for terrible decisions.”
“Let’s just go to common sense, because the order that you’re reading is not common sense. It’s absolutely absurd … and for me to try to explain to you how Judge Engoron got to his ridiculous number would mean I have to go speak about politics and the problem with the dual justice system and election interference right now. But the numbers are what they are. What bank, whatever, just write a check. So that’s how they feel they had a right to come in under a consumer fraud statute that’s never been used in this way and butt their nose into two private, sophisticated individuals in a contract that has never been breached. No loan defaults, no loss of money, no victims, no damages,” Habba said.
“Ms. [Letitia] James is supposed to value properties now? She’s got a bunch of associates under her, giving you what they think the value of Trump Tower is, and that’s the basis of a lawsuit?” she said.
“Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank and Trump have no problems, no lawsuits. No one’s saying they lost money. No one’s saying they were hurt. Everyone’s saying we did our due diligence. Trump’s saying we did our due diligence. Everybody looks at the values. They put a number on it, they get a deal. They make a contract, and then they’re good on the terms of that contract. Where is the harm? Because Ms. James and Judge Engoron say Mar-a-Lago is worth $18 million?” she pressed, noting that these people “live in this world where they frankly, have no real knowledge.”
Habba said she would respond “thoughtfully and methodically” in the appeal, implying the ruling could be overturned, and urged listening to understand the “nonsensical” nature of the case.
“If you look at Judge Engoron he made a terrible decision that was reversed, hurting landlords and tenants in the state of New York, and he’s known for that. He has said on the record, that even if a jury says something and gets it wrong, he won’t agree with it, and he can use his own powers as a judge to completely disregard what a jury says,” she said. “This is who we are dealing with.”
“So if you want me to make sense of a nonsensical order, I just would assure you that number one, I’m not going to do it today. I’m going to do it thoughtfully, methodically, and it’s going to be on the appeal,” Habba said.
“And you know, you can read it and weep, but that’s where we are at right now,” she added.
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