Trump's lawyers ask to delay Trump U. fraud trial until after inauguration
Lawyers for President-elect Donald Trump have asked to postpone the fraud trial related to Trump University from Nov. 28 until after the presidential inauguration.
Lawyers for President-elect Donald Trump have asked to postpone the fraud trial related to Trump University from Nov. 28 until after the presidential inauguration.
Donald Trump鈥檚 lawyers are pushing to delay a class-action suit against him and his defunct for-profit university until after the president-elect is inaugurated on Jan. 20, a move plaintiffs are adamantly trying to block.
The motion, filed Saturday in San Diego federal court, argues that preparing to testify and appearing in court would distract Mr. Trump from his responsibilities leading up to taking over the presidency, and encourages the court to accept recorded depositions of Trump rather than an actual court appearance.
"The President-Elect should not be required to stand trial during the next two months while he prepares to assume the Presidency. The time and attention to prepare and testify will take him away from imperative transition work at a critical time," wrote Trump attorneys Daniel Petrocelli, David Marroso, and David Kirman. "We acknowledge plaintiffs have a right to trial of their claims, but their rights will not be abridged if trial were continued to a date after the inauguration to allow the President-Elect to devote all his time and attention to the transition process."
Former students of the for-profit real estate university allege that Trump University misled and defrauded them, falsely advertising its offerings, and attached hefty price tags. Trump鈥檚 attorneys have continuously tried to get the case, or statements, delayed or thrown out of court, but so far, the trial remains slated to begin on Nov. 28.
Concerns about Trump鈥檚 readiness to transition to the White House have increasingly emerged since the president-elect met with President Obama last Thursday. As The Wall Street Journal reported last week, Trump and his team seemed initially overwhelmed by what the process would entail. 聽
While Trump鈥檚 lawyers say that they aren鈥檛 proposing postponing the now more than 6-year-old case until after the real estate mogul leaves office, they did cite past instances in which sitting presidents received accommodations from the courts that likely would not fall to other citizens: In 1990, President Ronald Reagan was allowed to give a video deposition in regard to the Iran-Contra-related trial of John Poindexter, who was national security adviser. Six years later, President Bill Clinton was granted a similar option when two of his business partners were put on trial for the Whitewater land deal, Politico reported.
Earlier this month, Trump鈥檚 lawyers sought to bar the use of his campaign trail rhetoric, including tweets, speeches, and advertisements, from entering the courtroom as evidence. Judge Gonzalo Curiel tentatively rejected that bid last week. He also said he may allow a video testimony from Trump, but encouraged the two sides to explore a settlement before resorting to a trial.
"It would be wise for the plaintiffs, for the defendants, to look closely at trying to resolve this case given all else that鈥檚 involved,鈥 Judge Curiel said.
This report contains material from the Associated Press and Reuters.