Judge Lifts Trump Contempt on Records for Now

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 3:02 pm | < 1 Minute Read

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, April 23, 2022, in Delaware, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana, File)

NEW YORK (The Washington Post)- A contempt of court order filed against Donald Trump by a Manhattan judge has been conditionally lifted until May 20, the date by which the former president must meet a set of requirements regarding a document search that is part of a civil probe into Trump Organization business practices.

Lawyers for Trump have said that he does not have the documents that were subpoenaed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, D, who was seeking records from Trump’s personal files. James is examining whether Trump’s real estate and golf resort business falsely inflated the value of properties and other assets to secure better loan terms and tax benefits. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ordered Trump held in contempt about two weeks ago after his lawyers failed to offer adequate proof that a thorough search for the documents had been conducted.

On Wednesday, Engoron said Trump’s team must provide detailed affidavits about document retention and destruction policies at the Trump Organization. Trump must pay $110,000 in fines to James’s office for his failure to be in compliance to date, and he must have a third-party document search team complete its review of his records.

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