A New York appeals court removed Ivanka Trump from the civil lawsuit filed by the Attorney General of New York, Letitia James. While former President Donald Trump and his two sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, remain co-defendants in the case, Ivanka Trump’s involvement as a c0defendant has been removed. The removal is good news for the Trumps as it releases Ivanka from the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by James in September 2022 and alleged that the Trump family engaged in financial fraud to gain economic benefits.
The appeals court ruling determined that Ivanka Trump was not associated with the Trump Organization during the relevant timeframe, as the company had agreed to certain conditions set by New York. The court ruled that Ivanka Trump’s claims should have been dismissed because they were made too late and did not involve any incidents that occurred after February 6, 2016.
Former President Donald Trump, who is currently a leading candidate in the 2024 GOP field, celebrated the ruling and characterized James’ lawsuit as “election interference” in a post on Truth Social. James’ office, however, expressed their commitment to continue pursuing the lawsuit, citing substantial evidence of fraudulent activities by Trump and the Trump Organization.
The appeals court referred the remaining claims against the other Trump family members to a trial court to determine their involvement based on the tolling agreement established in August 2021.
In a separate development, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who indicted former President Trump in March, is facing legal challenges related to his decision. Bragg is the subject of two lawsuits accusing him of improprieties in the prosecution of Trump, specifically regarding a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
One of the lawsuits, filed by the Heritage Foundation, alleges that Bragg coordinated or communicated with the Justice Department, the White House, and Representative Daniel Goldman, a Democrat from New York, regarding the prosecution. The Heritage Foundation claims that such actions prompted investigations by multiple U.S. House committees into Bragg’s conduct.
Another lawsuit also filed by the Heritage Foundation asserts that Bragg and his team received pro bono services from prominent law firms specializing in white-collar litigation.
The Heritage Foundation’s filings express concerns about the potential misuse of the criminal justice system for political purposes, drawing attention to the history of President Trump’s political opponents coordinating efforts to weaponize the system against him and obstruct justice.