Former President Donald Trump had a big legal day on Monday where some major movements happened in the civil fraud and hush money cases against him.
Here’s what to know about each case:
Hush money case: Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from reimbursements made to Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen for hush money payments he made before the 2016 election to cover up an alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The former president has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair.
During a hearing in New York on Monday, which Trump attended, Judge Juan Merchan said the criminal trial against the former president will begin on April 15 with jury selection. The judge dismissed the Trump’s motion to toss out the indictment altogether or delay the trial further.
Civil fraud case: A New York appeals court ruled Trump must pay a $175 million bond as he appeals the civil fraud judgment against him. He also was given 10 additional days to post the bond.
It’s a major lifeline for the former president, who, along with his adult sons and his company, were fined more than $464 million, which was due today, after Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump and his co-defendants fraudulently inflated the value of his assets.
The ruling staves off the prospect, for now, of New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking to seize the former president’s property to enforce the judgment against him.
Source: www.cnn.com