New York Attorney General Letitia James has called for Donald Trump to be sanctioned for using "frivolous" legal arguments to defend himself.
She called for defendants in the fraud case against the Trump Organization to be fined a collective $10,000, and to impose a $10,000 fine on the defence attorneys working the case, according to CNBC.
"The Court rejected these arguments for a second time, noting that they 'were borderline frivolous even the first time defendants made them,' and observed that reading Defendants' brief 'was, to quote the baseball sage Lawrence Peter ('Yogi') Berra, 'Deja vu all over again,'" her office said in a court filing.
She said that New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron has the ability to "impose financial sanctions upon any party or attorney in a civil action or proceeding who engages in frivolous conduct."
Ms James is seeking a $250m penalty against Mr Trump and the other defendants for allegedly engaging in financial fraud, and a ban on him or his sons running businesses in the state.
The case against Mr Trump and his two eldest sons alleges that they regularly presented false financial information to lenders and insurance companies to benefit Mr Trump's businesses and his own wealth.
That trial is expected to begin in four weeks.
Ms James previously accused the former president of inflating his worth by $2.2bn, according to court documents made public last week.
That accusation earned her a typically bombastic response from Mr Trump on his Truth Social platform.
“THE THING I HAVE IS A GREAT CASE BASED ON PHENOMENAL NUMBERS THAT SHOW A NET WORTH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS MORE THAN SHE VICIOUSLY & FALSELY CLAIMED, VERY LITTLE DEBT, BIG CASH, A POWERFUL DISCLAIMER CLAUSE, PAID OFF LOANS, NO DEFAULTS, “HAPPY” BANKS, GREAT ASSETS,” Mr Trump said. “I WAS DEFAMED BY NYS – ELECTION INTERFERENCE!”
The state's investigation into the Trump Organization is only one of the numerous legal battles Mr Trump is facing; he has been indicted in New York for allegedly paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, twice by the federal government — one resulting from the Mar-a-Lago FBI raid and confidential documents case, and another for trying to overturn the election and allegedly inciting the Capitol riot — and in Fulton County, Georgia for election interference.
Co-defendants in Mr Trump's Georgia case may already be eyeing a move to flip on him, according to reporting from Politico.
Several of the co-defendants have already started to defend themselves by saying the actions they took were at the behest of Mr Trump — a defence many Capitol riot defendants have attempted, with little success — and speculation is brewing that his former lawyer, Jenna Ellis, may be considering cooperation after the former president refused to pay for her legal bills.
