Ivanka Trump Dropped as Co-defendant in $250 Million Lawsuit

Ivanka Trump speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Aug. 27, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)

A New York appeals court has dismissed all claims against former President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump in a civil lawsuit brought by Attorney General Letitia James.

The New York Appellate Division’s First Department ruled unanimously this week to dismiss claims against Ivanka Trump because they were filed too late and she was no longer part of the Trump Organization during the relevant period.

“The allegations against defendant Ivanka Trump do not support any claims that accrued after February 6, 2016. Thus, all claims against her should have been dismissed as untimely,” the judges wrote in the decision.

While the judges denied the former president’s motion to dismiss the case, they agreed to limit the time frame of some of the claims against the other defendants, barring some claims before 2016 and others before 2014.

The Trumps have denied any wrongdoing while the former president has accused James of engaging in a politically-motivated prosecution.

President Donald Trump arrives, flanked by daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump and wife, first lady Melania Trump, to deliver his acceptance speech for the Republican Party nomination for reelection during the final day of the Republican National Convention from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Aug. 27, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

‘Witch Hunt,’ Claims Trump

James’ civil lawsuit, filed in September 2022, seeks at least $250 million in damages from Trump, his adult sons Donald Jr. and Eric, the Trump Organization and others. It also seeks to block the Trumps from operating businesses in the state of New York.

The suit accuses Trump of lying about asset values in order to secure better terms for loans and insurance

It alleges that, for about a decade between 2011 and 2021, Trump fraudulently manipulated asset valuations, including his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, his Trump Tower penthouse in Manhattan, and his own net worth.

James wants the Trump Organization to be barred from doing business in New York, from engaging in real estate acquisitions in the state for five years, and for Trump and his children to be barred from serving as high-level executives at any New York company.

Trump, who is the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 presidential election, has called James’ lawsuit a politically-motivated “witch hunt” meant to thwart his bid for the White House.

A spokesperson for the New York Attorney General’s office said in a statement to media outlets following Tuesday’s appellate court ruling that there’s enough evidence for the case to proceed against the other defendants.

“There is a mountain of evidence that shows Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for significant economic gain,” a spokeswoman for James said.

“This decision allows us to hold him accountable for that fraud, and we intend to do so,” the spokesperson added.

Christopher Kise, a lawyer for the former president and most of the other defendants, said the ruling was “the first step” toward ending the lawsuit.

“The correct application of the law will now limit appropriately the previously unlimited reach of the attorney general,” he said.

“We remain confident that once all the real facts are known, there will be no doubt President Trump has built an extraordinarily successful business empire.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference in New York City on June 11, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Lawsuit Delayed?

James said in a recent interview with Pod Save America that her lawsuit against Trump could be delayed by the Department of Justice’s criminal case against the former president on charges of mishandling classified documents.

Trump entered a not guilty plea after being indicted on federal charges in Florida earlier in June for allegedly mishandling documents, including ones with “top secret” markings.

“In all likelihood, I believe that my case, as well as DA Bragg and the Georgia case, will unfortunately have to be adjourned pending the outcome of the federal case,” James said.

She was responding to a question about whether the federal classified documents case will tie in with James’s civil suit or Manhattan District Attorney Bragg’s case.

Trump was indicted by Bragg on charges of allegedly falsifying business records to hide payments made during the 2016 election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The former president has denied any wrongdoing.

In Georgia, Trump is being investigated for potential election interference in connection with remarks he made in a phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, asking him to “find” more Trump votes in what was then a hotly contested 2020 presidential election.

Trump has also denied any wrongdoing in connection with the Georgia case while maintaining that the 2020 election was rigged against him.

So far, the former president has been indicted in two cases—the one in Manhattan over alleged hush money payments and the one in Florida alleging mishandling of classified documents.

‘Badge of Courage’

Trump last weekend accused Democrats of interfering with the 2024 presidential election and called the two indictments he received a “great badge of courage” during a speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s event in Washington on June 24.

Trump claimed that authorities are investigating and charging him in an attempt to derail his presidential run.

“Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, communists, and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of courage,” he told supporters.

Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination and holds a slight lead in matchups against President Joe Biden.