NEW YORK (AP) — The New York judge who ordered donald trump pay one Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Trial said Thursday he will not step aside from the case, dismissing concerns that the verdict was influenced by a brief conversation he had with another lawyer as a “no-hamburger.”
Judge Arthur Engoron’s eight-page order came in response to Trump’s lawyers asking him to recuse himself based on a claim by real estate lawyer Adam Leitman Bailey that the two had discussed the state law at the heart of the case before the verdict. .
In the ruling, Engoron vehemently disputed the lawyer’s description of the February meeting. He wrote that Bailey approached him in the courtroom hallway and then followed him down the stairs and into the street while “droning on” about his interpretation of the law.
“I did not initiate, welcome, encourage, engage in, learn from, much less enjoy, Bailey’s speech,” Engoron wrote, adding that the “unpleasant occurrence” lasted about 90 seconds.
Bailey stated in an interview published by NBC New York in May that he discussed the case with Engoron shortly before the verdict was issued and gave him his opinion on a relevant part of the law.
In a filing last month, Trump lawyer Christopher Kise wrote that the conversation may have violated state rules regarding judicial communications and created “an appearance of impropriety and irreparably tarnished the integrity of this process.”
The motion to recuse cited reports that the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct had opened an inquiry into the conversation.
Engoron responded that he had not been contacted by the commission and was not aware of any investigation. Throughout the high-profile trial, the judge said he was frequently confronted by people on the streets, in restaurants, parks and on public transport.
“Sometimes your unsolicited words are complimentary. Sometimes they are derogatory,” he wrote. “They never affect my decisions. As with my forced encounter with Bailey, I feel no need to report these fleeting incidents.”
He continued: “I would have forgotten the whole thing by now if Bailey hadn’t tried to improve his reputation as someone who could influence the judges.”
Neither Kise nor Bailey responded to an emailed request for comment on the judge’s ruling.
Engoron ruled on Feb. 16 that Trump lied to banks, insurance companies and others about his wealth. He found that Trump, his company and top executives — including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. — plotted for years to inflate his wealth based on financial statements used to secure loans and do business.
The judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million in fines, but with interest the total grew to more than $471 million — including $17.1 million accrued since the verdict. The sum will rise by nearly $112,000 a day until he pays, unless the verdict is overturned.
Trump posted a $175 million bond in April to suspend collection of the judgment and prevent James’ office from seizing his assets while he appeals.
