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We now know the date of Trump’s criminal trial

The New York State Court is preparing to begin criminal court proceedings relating to allegations of bribery in a case involving Donald Trump, with jury selection scheduled for March 25.

Donald Trump’s legal troubles are gathering momentum, and this trial is of historic significance as the first criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president.

Manhattan State Court Judge Juan Merchan denied the former president’s motion to dismiss, paving the way for this historic trial. Trump was indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

The charges assert that these acts were part of an elaborate scheme to conceal extramarital affairs.

The indictment claims that Trump made payments to Michael Cohen, his former lawyer. These payments were made to silence claims by Stormy and Karen McDougal that Trump had had an affair with them. Trump vehemently rejects these allegations. According to the indictment, payments to Daniels and McDougal were disguised as legal fees, including $130,000 for Daniels.

And that’s the real problem.

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Falsifying business records is considered a Class E misdemeanor in New York and carries a maximum sentence of 4 years. If Trump is found guilty, given that this case was brought by the state, he will not be allowed to pardon himself in 2024 if he wins the presidential election.

Despite these legal problems, Donald Trump remains a serious contender for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

According to some of the polls, he is the favorite against President Joe Biden.

In many key states, Mr. Trump is tied with or ahead of Mr. Biden.

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Judge Merchan’s decision to pursue the case comes at a time of intense activity for Mr. Trump. He claims that his opponents are trying to undermine his comeback by bringing charges against him.

From March 25, then, the jury selection process begins, while the world will closely follow the progress of this historic court case, marking a new chapter in American legal and political history.

But first, let’s see how the Trump clan fares against prosecutor Fani Willis in Georgia… but that’s another story.

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Trump refuses to testify in his $250M fraud trial

Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would not return to testify in the ongoing fraud case in New York, while he and his companies face civil charges in a $250 million lawsuit brought by New York prosecutor Letitia James.

The lawsuit alleges a decade-long scheme of financial fraud and misrepresentation by the former president in the Trump Organization to obtain favorable loan terms.

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Recall that in early November, Donald Trump testified by taking a defensive stance and sharply criticizing Attorney General Letitia James, accusing her of being a political hack, and Judge Arthur Engoron, calling the latter hostile.

The New York Attorney General said in a press release that her office had already proven that Trump had committed financial fraud for years and that he and his family had unjustly enriched themselves.

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The Attorney General will continue her cross-examination in the trial, which is due to resume on Tuesday.

The trial, which began on October 2, has entered its final phase.

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Final arguments will be presented to the judge on January 19.

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Donald Trump’s fraud trial begins in New York!

“No one is above the law.”

The civil fraud trial opened in New York on Monday, October 2, as Trump faces charges of overstating his businesses and properties.

Donald Trump is accused of falsely inflating the value of his business empire and his net worth by billions of dollars, in order to obtain better business contracts, financial loans and interest rates, among other things.

The details of these charges are overwhelming, as he is accused of persistent and repeated fraud, falsification of business records, conspiracy to falsify business records, publishing false financial statements, conspiracy to falsify financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.

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Cameras were briefly allowed into the classroom before the court proceedings began, as Trump sat with his lawyers.

The judge has already ruled in the majority of this case, that Trump overvalued his businesses and properties for fraudulent financial gain, and declared:

“It’s a fantasy world… not the real world.”

Certainly harsh words about the management of Trump’s businesses by Donald Trump and his sons.

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Trump, who was not required to be present at the opening of this civil trial, is banking on the publicity it will bring for his presidential campaign, but New York Attorney General Letitia James’ message before the trial is clear:

“My message is simple. No matter how powerful you are… No matter how much money you think you may have… Nobody is above the law.”

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The attorney general in the case is seeking $250 million in damages, banishment from serving as officers of a New York company and a five-year ban on business transactions, which would put an end to the Trump Organization.

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Recall that the Trump Organization has developed and managed a wide range of real estate properties, including luxury condominiums, office buildings, hotels and resorts. Some of the most famous properties include the Trump Tower in New York and the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The organization has operated Trump-branded hotels and resorts in various parts of the world. These properties are often associated with luxury and upscale accommodations.

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Donald Trump was, in fact, the face of the organization for many years, but stepped away from day-to-day operations while President of the United States. His children, in particular Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, played an important role in running the company.

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Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are also targeted in the fraud trial, while Ivanka Trump was cleared of all charges earlier this year.

The former President of the United States is expected to testify in his defense next week, while the trial is expected to last until December 22.

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Entertainment Gossip News

Rudy Giuliani loses libel suit against two election workers

Former Donald Trump lawyer and ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has just lost a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers, after Giuliani made false allegations of ballot tampering in Georgia against the two women, repeatedly, after the 2020 elections.

“What we went through after the 2020 election was a living nightmare,” said the two workers, a mother and daughter, after the judge ruled in their favor.

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Giuliani will also have to pay the workers nearly $90,000 to cover legal fees in the case, in addition to being confirmed a trial date in 2024 to decide how much the workers could seek in damages as a result of these allegations.

An amount that could well reach millions of dollars!

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The two women, who had to leave their home under the FBI’s advice, say they’ve been living in fear of going to the supermarket or simply going out since the repeated attacks by Trump’s lawyer that began when the latter released a surveillance video of the vote count in Atlanta calling them conspirators and ballot stuffers, accusations that Georgia election officials have of course refuted.

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“There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere. Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States target you?” one of the victims claimed in a video testimony.

Giuliani himself admitted last month that he had made defamatory remarks about the women workers. The former lawyer acknowledged and did not disputed their claims that he had tarnished their reputations.

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The legal troubles are far from over for Donald Trump’s former lawyer.

It’s a far cry from the days of America’s Mayor.

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Entertainment Gossip

Gwyneth Paltrow compared to Jeffrey Dahmer during her trial!

The first day of the civil trial against Gwyneth Paltrow caught the attention of many on social networks for a very unexpected reason, as the star was quickly compared to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, no less!

The memory of the latter and his horrific crimes came to the forefront recently with a Netflix series, so many observers were comparing Gwyneth’s style to that of the horrific serial killer, especially because of her aviator-style glasses!

Paltrow is currently in civil court following a 2016 skiing accident on the slopes of Deer Valley Resort in Utah, where she allegedly ran into a retiree.

According to the plaintiff, the violent collision caused her numerous serious physical injuries, in addition to a concussion.

The 76 year old man is asking for $300,000 in reparations as Paltrow accuses him of using her fame to get money from her!

In addition to her look, fans and some journalists who follow the case accuse the actress and entrepreneur of showing a complete detachment towards the case and the people present in general.

To be continued!

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Twitter v. Musk trial will start October 17th

Pack your bags for Delaware, folks! The Twitter v. Elon Musk trial is set for October 17th and will wrap by the 21st in Delaware’s Court of Chancery.

Judge Kathaleen McCormick issued the official schedule (via The Verge) following back-and-forth from the Musk and Twitter legal teams, featuring tons of legalese complaining about trial dates and other stuff. Most recently, that included a letter from Musk’s lawyers complaining that Twitter was being difficult during the pre-trial process.

Twitter initially wanted an earlier start date in September, while Team Musk wanted the trial to start in 2023. McCormick chose October, so then Twitter requested that the trial start on October 10th, and Team Musk fought for October 17th, arguing the extra week would be crucial to preparation. Twitter, on the other hand, wanted the earlier start date because it blames Musk for the company’s lower-than-expected Q2 revenue. It’s also worth noting the merger agreement has a ‘drop-dead’ deadline of October 24th, which may also be a factor in Twitter pushing for an earlier trial.

And so, here we are with a settled date. The decision should appease Musk’s lawyers’ complaints about Twitter’s lack of cooperation since there are now official deadlines for filing counterclaims, documents, discovery, witnesses and more — those interested can view the whole schedule here.

As a quick refresher, this whole debacle is about Musk’s offer to buy Twitter. Musk wants out of the deal based on claims that Twitter has more spam bot activity than it said it does. Twitter sued Musk, alleging his spam bot complaint was manufactured to get out of the deal.

Moreover, Twitter’s lawsuit points out that Musk removed a diligence condition from the agreement that would have given him access to non-public information about Twitter, and the company says it gave Musk more information about bots than the company owed him based on the agreement.

Some wonder why Twitter is fighting to make the deal go through when Musk no longer wants the company, and management under Musk would likely be terrible (employee morale plummeted after the Musk deal was announced, Twitter says in the lawsuit that employee attrition increased after it signed the merger agreement, and Musk publicly said he planned to lay off Twitter employees). The short answer is that Musk’s $44 billion USD (about $56.4 billion CAD) offer is too good to pass up, and shareholders stand to make a premium off the sale — especially given the recent stock price drop.

Anyway, we’ll likely see plenty more filings and legal complaining from Twitter and Musk over the next few months leading up to the October 17th trial start. It’s going to be a long few months.

Via: The Verge

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Éphémérides (anglais)

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp clash again in court

Second round in court for the ex-lovers Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. This time, it’s the actor who sues his former girlfriend, for the sum of 50 million US dollars.

The star of the film series Pirates of the Caribbean claims the actress defamed him in a 2018 op-ed.

The trial that begins today in Virginia should make a lot of noise. Personalities such as Elon Musk or James Franco should be called to the witness stand.

The dispute centers on an article thatAmbert Heard wrote for the Washington Post, in which she claimed to be a victim of “sexual abuse.” Johnny Depp, although he was not specifically named in the text, claims that the article ruined his reputation and career.

Just days after the article was published in the daily newspaper, Disney withdrew Johnny Depp from its franchise Pirates of the Caribbean for which he was being paid more than $20 million per film. To date, the film series has grossed over $4.5 billion at the box office.

This is the second time that the former couple who dated for more than five years is in court. In 2020, Johnny Depp lost his case to The Sun newspaper, which described him as a “wife beater.” In this case, Amber Heard had testified against the actor and supported the thesis of the newspaper.

The second round between the two ex-lovers begins today with the selection of the 12 juries.

A third legal round could well await the two actors. Amber Heard filed a $100 million countersuit against Johnny Depp when he filed his $50 million defamation suit.