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The
order came after the former U.S. president sued Justice Arthur
Engoron, the trial judge overseeing the case, accusing him and
James of defying a court order that could narrow the lawsuit,
according to a report in the Daily Beast.
According to the court spokesman, appeals court Justice David
Friedman granted an interim stay of the trial, and referred the
matter to a five-judge panel, which expects to rule in the last
week of September.
The trial could still begin on Oct. 2 depending on how the
appeals court, known as the First Department, rules.
Friedman's stay does not apply to a scheduled Sept. 22 hearing
before Engoron on both sides' motions for summary judgment,
which can proceed as planned, the court spokesman said.
James wants a ruling that Trump's financial statements were
fraudulent, while the defendants want most or all of the
attorney general's claims dismissed. Engoron has said the trial
could last until near Christmas.
Lawyers for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for
comment.
James said in a statement: "We are confident in our case and
will be ready for trial."
The attorney general has said that a "mountain of evidence"
shows how Trump and his associates lied over a decade about his
assets and net worth, which she says may have been inflated by
as much as $3.6 billion, to obtain better terms on loans and
insurance.
She is seeking a $250 million fine, and to bar Trump and his
sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump from leading the family
business, the Trump Organization. James filed her lawsuit in
September 2022, after a three-year probe.
In July, the appeals court said statutes of limitations may
preclude James from suing over claims that arose before July 13,
2014, or Feb. 6, 2016, and said Engoron should decide which
could proceed.
Trump holds a dominant lead in the 2024 race for the Republican
presidential nomination.
He has denied wrongdoing, and called James' case part of a
Democratic "witch hunt."
In January, Engoron said the "witch hunt" argument did not
justify a dismissal, and said some defense arguments were
"borderline frivolous even the first time defendants made them."
(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel in New York;
Editing by Leslie Adler)
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