Home Latest PM Newspapers Headlines News Today Judge orders Donald Trump to face trial for fraud
Judge orders Donald Trump to face trial for fraud
United States leading Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump is to face trial in November for defrauding students of Trump University.
A federal judge in San Diego set the stage on Friday when he ordered that Donald Trump, who had virtually won the Republican nominee contest with the withdrawal of other contestants, must go to trial starting November 28 in a civil case in which he is accused of defrauding students who attended Trump University.
The ruling by U.S. Judge Gonzalo Curiel, during a pretrial conference on the six-year-old lawsuit, actually represented a small victory for Trump.
The lawyers for the plaintiffs, arguing that "justice delayed is justice denied," had asked for a trial to start as early as this summer — immediately after the Republican convention in Cleveland.
"There are people who are still paying off their debts for the money they paid to Trump University," said Jason Forge, a lead lawyer for the plaintiffs suing Trump.
Trump's lead lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, for his part, pushed back, contending that a trial over Trump University would end up becoming a media spectacle that would amount to an "unwarranted intrusion" on the November elections.
He had asked that Curiel put the whole matter off until next February, after the inauguration, arguing that Trump, if elected, would be working "around the clock" during the transition to form a Cabinet.
He acknowledged to Curiel that he was "fully aware" that a President Trump would not be able to postpone the case indefinitely, consistent with the Supreme Court's unanimous ruling that President Bill Clinton was not immune to a civil suit by Paula Jones, alleging sexual harassment.
Curiel decided to split the difference: In an effort to "accommodate" Trump's political campaign, he agreed to put the trial off until after the election — but scheduled it right afterward, rather than "waiting …Read More
Previous articleINTERVIEW: Security challenges should draw Nigeria, Cameroon together in trade
Next articleNANS gives Niger governor 7-day ultimatum