International

Court Says Trump’s Niece’s Allegation Of Fraud In Family Settlement Is Factual

Published

3 years ago

Jan 12, 2022.

The judge reserved his decision on the motion to dismiss

EKO HOT BLOG reports that lawyers for former President Donald Trump and his niece Mary Trump sparred in court Tuesday over whether her lawsuit alleging she was defrauded of millions of dollars in a 2001 family settlement could move forward.

New York state Judge Robert Reed asked pointed questions during the nearly two-hour video hearing over Trump’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

During the hearing, the judge suggested there were several questions around the facts of the case alleged by Mary Trump, including whether her lawyer during the settlement process was biased toward her aunt and uncles, an indication the judge may let the lawsuit move forward to allow both sides to conduct discovery.

Mary Trump alleges “the lawyer she was represented by, and she identifies the particular lawyer, says he was working on behalf of the defendants and not her. That is a factual allegation,” the judge said to attorneys for the Trumps.

“If you dispute that, then we’ve got an issue of fact. The only way of figuring it out is by doing a deposition,” he added.

James Kiley, an attorney for the former President, said Mary Trump didn’t put forward any evidence that the attorney was playing both sides and called that argument “a desperate Hail Mary pass.”

“The plaintiff is seizing on sensationalism and politics to bring a claim that shouldn’t get past the courtroom front door,” Kiley said.

The judge reserved his decision on the motion to dismiss.

In 2020, Mary Trump sued Trump; his sister Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired judge; and the executor of her late uncle Robert Trump’s estate, alleging “they designed and carried out a complex scheme to siphon funds away from her interests, conceal their grift, and deceive her about the true value of what she had inherited.”

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