Judge slams banks’ request to hide 'millions' in business deals with Trump from public: report

29 August 2023

Thirty-four days ahead of ex-President Donald Trump's New York civil trial for Attorney General Letitia James' " $250 million lawsuit filed against the 2024 hopeful alleging 'widespread fraud,' the banks and companies that lended the former president "millions of dollars for business deals" want to hide the proof from the public, The Daily Beast reports.

Per The Beast, Judge "Arthur F. Engoron, ruled that—aside from information like the home addresses of certain employees and bank account numbers—the public has a right to see the documents and communications."

According to the report, the judge said Tuesday that "he'd allow the companies to hide personal information, but he sided with the AG that most of the documents should stay in the open."

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Engoron wrote, “Here, the non-parties have failed to demonstrate a compelling interest in favor of wholesale sealing that outweighs the public’s right to access and the presumption in favor of open judicial proceedings."

The news outlet reports:

Some of these records form the backbone of [New York] AG Letitia James' $250 million lawsuit against the Trumps, purportedly showing how the real estate mogul and the family members he made executives got away with minimal scrutiny—by asserting fantastical financial numbers that weren't examined carefully. Had they been, auditors and loan officers would have realized that Trump was easily doubling and tripling the value of property to snag better bank loans and insurance policies.

"One employee who has already been publicly linked to the Seven Springs loan receives unwanted media inquiries every time the case appears in the news, which he finds 'disruptive and distressing,'" WSF Bank lamented, according to the report.

The Daily Beast's full report is available at this link (subscription required).

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