A legal expert on Monday offered insights into the upcoming trials for former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple hurdles in New York in both civil and criminal court.
Monday marks the end of a 30-day grace period provided by State Attorney General Letitia James for Trump to secure a bond of nearly half a billion dollars to appeal his civil fraud case. However, Trump has encountered challenges in finding an insurance company willing to underwrite the bond, prompting James to indicate her intention to initiate an asset seizure if he fails to produce the required funds.
Jessica Roth, a former federal prosecutor with the Southern District of New York and professor at Cardozo Law, shared her perspective on "Mornings On 1" Monday, noting she is anticipating swift action from James.
"I think immediately we're gonna see her serving orders on his banks so that they freeze his assets, his liquid assets so they can't be dissipated while the appeal is pending." Roth said. “That's the easiest thing for her to do. With respect to the real estate properties, that's a little bit more complicated. She can immediately serve a lien on those properties … but the process of actually sort of selling and collecting on the value of those real estate properties is a lengthier prospect and there are other creditors who have interest and equity in those properties.”
She added that while the 30-day grace period has ended, “there'll be no dramatic moment … with police tape or anything like that.”
Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to appear in a Lower Manhattan courtroom for a hearing concerning his "hush money" criminal case. Roth explained that the trial, tentatively rescheduled for April 15 due to a last-minute document dump, faces opposition from Trump's legal team. They are seeking a significant delay of the trial or a complete dismissal.
However, Roth noted that the District Attorney's office opposes further delays, setting the stage for a pivotal hearing to gauge the court's stance on these arguments and the progress of discovery.
“The DA’s office says, ‘We don't really think anything more of a delay is warranted beyond April 15.’ So, we'll have a much better sense of how the court is viewing those arguments and the discovery delay at that hearing,” she said.