In a desperate, last-ditch effort to try and get around a $250 million fraud lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, attorneys for failed former president Donald Trump asserted in a Thursday evening filing that the Trump Organization cannot be sued because it actually isn’t a legal entity.
Business Insider reports that the filing reads like a “nose-thumbing response” to the lawsuit from James.
“To the extent a response is required, Defendant specifically denies the definitions of “Trump Organization” and “Defendants,” reads Donald Trump’s response to the lawsuit, one of 16 answers filed late Thursday night.
“While the shorthand “Trump Organization” is utilized by Defendants for branding and business purposes, no entity as such exists for legal purposes,” Donald Trump’s response continues, using language that is repeated throughout his 300-page filing and throughout the similarly-lengthy 15 filings of his fellow defendants.
While the strategy is creative, it’s not likely to work because the lawsuit doesn’t seek to charge the Trump Organization.
New York’s lawsuit does not specifically sue anything called ‘Trump Organization.’ New York’s lawsuit names Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, former company CFO Allen Weisselberg and its former payroll executive Jeffrey McConney. It also names 10 entities under the Trump Organization umbrella — including ‘The Trump Organization, Inc.,’ a registered corporation in New York since 1981.
The filing also contains repeated denials that the Trump Organization has done anything illegal, despite overwhelming evidence already provided by James that suggests otherwise and has already led to a judgement against the company.
Thursday night’s batch of responses briefly address these claims, repeating such blanket denials as “Defendant has not engaged in repeated fraudulent or illegal acts or otherwise demonstrated persistent fraud or illegality in the carrying on, conducting or transacting of business.”
James’ lawsuit would permanently ban the disgraced ex-president, Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump from ever doing business in New York, which is where the company is headquartered and a majority of Trump properties are located.
A trial in the matter is set for October in Manhattan.
