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Trump Organization must turn over documents to NY attorney general, judge rules
CNN Expansion NYC 2017 PH: JOHN NOWAK Sonia Moghe
By Sonia Moghe, CNN
Updated 6:21 PM ET, Tue December 15, 2020
A state judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump Organization must turn over documents related to a property whose tax abatements were being investigated by New York Attorney General Letitia James' office.
The Trump Organization previously claimed the documents were protected by attorney-client privilege.
Amy Carlin, an attorney for the Trump Organization, argued Tuesday that the Trump organization had "every expectation that those communications would be confidential," regarding discussions about a property in Westchester County involving an engineer.
The attorney general's office argued that the documents were not privileged, in part, because the Trump Organization had "waived privilege" when it disclosed certain documents to the IRS to "gain benefit," said attorney Eric Haren with the attorney general's office.
Haren said that "literally everything other than the final appraisal value" was not disclosed to his office.
James' office has been investigating President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization since 2019, when Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump's annual financial statements inflated the values of his assets in order to secure favorable loans and insurance coverage, but deflated the value of other assets in order to reduce real estate taxes.
Haren argued Tuesday that refusal to release those documents has "delayed" the attorney general's ability to investigate.
New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron made the ruling after arguments were conducted remotely Tuesday. Engoron previously ruled that the documents were privileged.
CNN Expansion NYC 2017 PH: JOHN NOWAK Sonia Moghe
By Sonia Moghe, CNN
Updated 6:21 PM ET, Tue December 15, 2020
A state judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump Organization must turn over documents related to a property whose tax abatements were being investigated by New York Attorney General Letitia James' office.
The Trump Organization previously claimed the documents were protected by attorney-client privilege.
Amy Carlin, an attorney for the Trump Organization, argued Tuesday that the Trump organization had "every expectation that those communications would be confidential," regarding discussions about a property in Westchester County involving an engineer.
The attorney general's office argued that the documents were not privileged, in part, because the Trump Organization had "waived privilege" when it disclosed certain documents to the IRS to "gain benefit," said attorney Eric Haren with the attorney general's office.
Haren said that "literally everything other than the final appraisal value" was not disclosed to his office.
James' office has been investigating President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization since 2019, when Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump's annual financial statements inflated the values of his assets in order to secure favorable loans and insurance coverage, but deflated the value of other assets in order to reduce real estate taxes.
Haren argued Tuesday that refusal to release those documents has "delayed" the attorney general's ability to investigate.
New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron made the ruling after arguments were conducted remotely Tuesday. Engoron previously ruled that the documents were privileged.