New York Judge Arthur Engoron delivered a scathing critique of Ivanka Trump within his ruling that mandated her father to pay $354.9 million in damages on Friday, holding him accountable for business fraud.
Engoron’s judgment highlighted Ivanka’s “inconsistent recall,” noting that despite documentary evidence proving her involvement, Donald Trump’s eldest daughter repeatedly denied knowledge of crucial events. Although Ivanka was initially listed as a defendant alongside her father, adult brothers, and the Trump Organization, she was dropped from the case in June 2023 due to a statute of limitations.
Engoron didn’t mince words when targeting Ivanka, stating, “She consistently denied recalling the contents of documentary evidence that confirmed that she actively participated in events, even after she was confronted with the evidence.”
He further underscored, “The Court found her inconsistent recall, depending on whether she was questioned by OAG [New York attorney general’s office] or the defense, suspect. In any event, what Ms. Trump cannot recall is memorialized in contemporaneous emails and documents; in the absence of her memory, the documents speak for themselves.”
Ivanka Trump (Credits: Business Insider)
Specifically referring to negotiations surrounding the Old Post Office in Washington, D.C., which Trump converted into a hotel, Engoron pointed out Ivanka’s lack of recollection of events despite ample email and documentary evidence.
Similarly, he questioned her testimony regarding negotiations concerning the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida, emphasizing her professed memory lapse despite documented evidence of her involvement.
Engoron’s September 2023 ruling found Donald Trump liable for business fraud, concluding that he had misrepresented property values to secure more favorable loans and tax arrangements.
The recent ruling focused on the ensuing penalties, including the hefty fine and a three-year ban on Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation. Additionally, Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, faced fines and business bans.
While an independent body was tasked with monitoring the Trump Organization for the next three years, Engoron stopped short of revoking its business licenses, which would have effectively halted its operations in New York.
In his 92-page judgment, Engoron criticized the defendants’ lack of contrition and remorse, stating, “Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological.” He further emphasized, “The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience.”
Reacting to the judgment, Trump condemned the decision from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, denouncing it as the ruling of a “crooked New York state judge.” He vowed to appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Democrat who initiated the case, welcomed the verdict, asserting that there should be no special treatment for former presidents, and referring to Trump’s book, quipped, “Donald Trump may have authored The Art of the Deal, but he perfected the art of the steal.”
