Former President Donald Trump’s legal team has filed a motion for New York Judge Arthur Engoron to recuse himself from the civil fraud trial following revelations that a lawyer had unsolicited interactions with the judge regarding the case. This comes after Engoron ruled against Trump in February and directed him to pay $355 million in penalties, plus interest, in a civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Attorneys Alina Habba and Clifford Robert called for Engoron’s recusal in a 24-page motion after lawyer Adam Leitman Bailey disclosed that he had a conversation with Engoron about the case. The conversation reportedly took place in February, a few weeks prior to Engoron’s verdict.
Bailey told NBC New York [1] that he spoke with Engoron about the case, but did not mention Trump by name. A spokesperson for the New York State’s Office of Court Administration denied that the conversation influenced the judge’s decision.
An investigation by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct is currently underway after allegations surfaced that Engoron engaged in unethical behavior by accepting advice from an outside lawyer without disclosing it to the parties involved in the case.
Habba and Clifford argued that Engoron’s failure to inform them about the alleged advice constituted “obfuscation” and called for his immediate recusal, citing violations of the New York Code of Judicial Conduct.