Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have filed suit to stop New York State Attorney General Leitia James from proceeding with her investigation into their dealings regarding certain real state properties including the Seven Springs Estate in Westchester.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, which has offices in Albany as well as other municipalities in the northern part of the state.
The Seven Springs Estate is a 212-acre property in Westchester, purchased by the Trump Organization in 1995. After efforts to develop the property were unsuccessful, the Trump Organization granted a conservation easement over 158 acres of the property in 2015. It is believed that James”™ office has been investigating the property values used by Trump in connection with that property and others.
Other properties specified in James lawsuit against Trump include: 40 Wall Street, a mixed use building in lower Manhattan; Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago, a hotel and residential complex in Chicago that was not shown in Donald Trump”™s “Statement of Financial Condition” in 2009 and in subsequent years; and the Trump National Golf Club ”“ Los Angeles, a golf course and clubhouse in Los Angeles.
In a statement released at about noon today, James said, “The Trump Organization has continually sought to delay our investigation into its business dealings and now Donald Trump and his namesake company have filed a lawsuit as an attempted collateral attack on that investigation. To be clear, neither Mr. Trump nor the Trump Organization get to dictate if and where they will answer for their actions. Our investigation will continue undeterred because no one is above the law, not even someone with the name Trump.”
Trump”™s latest lawsuit alleges, in part: “For years, she has flagrantly abused her investigatory powers to target her political adversaries and advance her career. Her relentless attacks on Donald J. Trump serve as a prime example. Since taking office, she has tirelessly bombarded him, his family and his business, Trump Organization LLC, with unwarranted subpoenas in a bitter crusade to ”˜take on”™ the president.”
The lawsuit also alleges: “The investigations commenced by James are in no way connected to legitimate law enforcement goals, but rather, are merely a thinly-veiled effort to publicly malign Trump and his associates. Her mission is guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as a political opponent.”
The lawsuit accuses James”™ investigation of violating Trump”™s constitutional rights. It also attacks Trump”™s former lawyer Michael Cohen who has testified that values placed on Trump properties could vary depending on the purpose for the valuation. For example, testified Cohen, lower values would be used for property tax purposes and higher values used when seeking loans.
The lawsuit does not provide specifics about the Trump properties that James has been investigating.
The lawsuit was filed by Alina Habba, of the law firm Habba Madaio & Associates LLP located in Bedminster, New Jersey, where there is a Trump golf course, and Manhattan.
