By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – An knowledgeable witness paid almost $1 million by Donald Trump to testify at his New York civil fraud trial “misplaced all credibility” by “doggedly” justifying the previous U.S. president’s enterprise information, the decide overseeing the case mentioned on Monday.
Eli Bartov, a New York College accounting professor, testified on Dec. 7 that he didn’t see any proof of fraud in Trump’s household actual property firm’s monetary statements, which New York state’s legal professional basic alleges overstated property values in an effort to win favorable mortgage and insurance coverage phrases.
Bartov testified he spent 650 hours on the case at a price of $1,350 per hour, that means his compensation totaled round $877,500. Bartov mentioned his invoices have been paid each by the Trump Group and by Save America, a political motion committee supporting Trump’s 2024 election marketing campaign.
“All that his testimony proves is that for one million or so {dollars}, some consultants will say no matter you need them to say,” Justice Arthur Engoron wrote in a scathing denial of a number of requests by Trump for the case to be determined in his favor.
“By doggedly trying to justify each misstatement, Professor Bartov misplaced all credibility,” Engoron wrote.
In an e-mail, Bartov mentioned Engoron was unsuitable to say the “overarching level” of his testimony was that Trump’s statements have been “correct in each respect.” He pointed to his testimony that Trump’s statements contained inadvertent errors.
“No knowledgeable rebutted my testimony or testified that they discovered fraud,” Bartov mentioned. “As to his hypothesis that my billing price had something to do with my opinion, that is my customary billing price.”
Trump’s attorneys didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The trial has targeted totally on damages, as Engoron dominated earlier than it began in early October that Trump and his grownup sons manipulated monetary statements to dupe banks and insurers.
New York Lawyer Common Letitia James, a Democrat, is searching for $250 million in penalties and needs Trump banned from the New York state actual property enterprise.
Trump, the main contender for the Republican presidential nomination, has denied wrongdoing and known as the case politically motivated.
In his three-page written ruling, Engoron acknowledged the protection’s argument that property valuations are subjective and that incorrect info in monetary statements have to be “materials” to interrupt the regulation. However he mentioned Trump’s statements have been “replete with examples of fabric misstatements.”
“A lie remains to be a lie,” Engoron wrote.
Closing arguments within the trial are set for Jan. 11.
Trump individually faces 4 state and federal prison indictments, together with two over costs he sought to overturn his loss to Democratic President Joe Biden within the 2020 election. He has pleaded not responsible to all costs.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Modifying by Noeleen Walder and Invoice Berkrot)
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