Dive Brief:
- Donald Trump’s attorneys did not forget to check a box to request a jury trial in the Trump Organization fraud trial, New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron said this week in an effort to clear up misinformation about the high-profile case.
- “We are having a non-jury trial because we are hearing a non-jury case," Engoron said, according to Yahoo! News and ABC News reports. "It would have not helped to make a motion. Nobody forgot to check off a box."
- New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is prosecuting the case against the former president’s company, had requested the matter be decided in a bench trial, and that Trump's lawyers did not request a jury.
Dive Insight:
“The AG checked off non-jury, and there was no motion for a jury," said the judge, reported Yahoo! and ABC News, among other outlets.
Had Trump's lawyers made a request for one, he said, he would have denied it because James sought equitable relief that, under New York's constitution, precludes a jury trial.
Trump has made it a point that he’s been denied a jury trial, coverage by Yahoo! emphasized.
During trial proceedings this week, after Engoron discussed the matter of the non-jury trial, Trump attorney Alina Habba thanked the judge, reports said. "I would like to say thank you, your honor," the news outlets reported.
Judge Engoron in late September in a summary judgment ruled the Trump Organization had committed fraud by inflating property values to get better loan and insurance terms. The bench trial that began last week is to examine other counts brought by the attorney general and also determine any penalty amounts.
