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Judge orders Trump to pay millions in New York civil fraud case

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The judge overseeing the civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization has issued his long-awaited ruling.

Judge Arthur Engoron handed down his judgment in a 92-page decision on Friday, ordering them to pay over $350 million in penalties.

Trump is expected to appeal.

The judge’s decision comes five weeks after the trial in the case concluded

New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the civil suit in 2022, asked the judge to bar Trump from doing business in the state and sought a penalty of $250 million, a figure her office increased to $370 million by the end of the trial. Trump, the Trump Organization and several executives, including his two eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, were named as co-defendants in the suit.

Trump and his legal team long expected a defeat, with the former president decrying the case as “rigged” and a “sham” and his lawyers laying the groundwork for an appeal before the judgment was even issued. 

Even before Friday’s ruling, the judge had largely affirmed James’ allegations that Trump and others at his company inflated valuations of his properties by hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of a decade, and misrepresented his wealth by billions. The scheme, the state said, was meant to trick banks and insurers into offering more favorable deal terms.

Engoron ruled in September that Trump and the other defendants were liable for fraud, based on the evidence presented through pretrial filings.

The trial, which began in October, focused on other aspects of the lawsuit related to alleged falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy.

The financial penalty James sought, known as disgorgement, is meant to claw back the amount Trump and his company benefited from the scheme. (Under New York law, disgorgement cases are decided by a judge, not a jury.) 

Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter and once an executive at the Trump Organization, was originally named as a defendant in the suit, but an appellate court later dismissed allegations against her, citing the state’s statute of limitations.

What were the Trumps accused of?

The lawsuit laid out seven causes of actions — the claims of illegal conduct that James’ office said entitled the state to claw back ill-gotten profits and warranted severe sanctions against the defendants:

  • Persistent and Repeated Fraud
  • Falsifying Business Records
  • Conspiracy to Falsify Business Records
  • Issuing False Financial Statements
  • Conspiracy to Falsify False Financial Statements
  • Insurance Fraud
  • Conspiracy to Commit Insurance Fraud

The claims revolve around financial statements given by Trump and his company to banks and insurers.  The statements were prepared by accounting firms using spreadsheets of underlying data that included vast inflations of Trump property valuations.

The defendants lost on the first claim, persistent and repeated fraud, before the trial even started.

The Sept. 26 fraud ruling

Engoron agreed in September with James’ office that it was beyond dispute, based on evidence presented through pretrial filings, that Trump and his company provided banks with financial statements that misrepresented his wealth by billions.

“The documents here clearly contain fraudulent valuations that defendants used in business,” Engoron wrote in the Sept. 26 ruling.

Engoron found as fact in that ruling that Trump and the company overstated the valuations of many properties by hundreds of millions of dollars. He cited the Palm Beach Assessor valuation of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club at between $18 million and $28 million for each year between 2011 and 2021 — the values for which he paid local property taxes. During those years, Trump valued the property at between $328 million and $714 million on his annual statements of financial conditions.

Trump seized on the Mar-a-Lago valuation, complaining about it frequently during public appearances, in social media posts, and in his own defense at trial.

Trump’s testimony at the trial

Donald Trump and three of his children testified during the trial, which began on Oct. 2 and ran for more than three months. 

Ivanka Trump and her brothers said they couldn’t recall many of the interactions at the center of the case, including deliberations related to efforts to secure financing and insurance for Trump property developments. Eric and Donald Trump Jr. both sought to pin blame on the company’s accountants, claiming they had little involvement in the preparation of financial statements that misrepresented the values of company properties.

The former president took the stand on Nov. 6, stopping to address the media on his way into court. “It’s a very sad situation for our country,” he said.

Under oath, he gave long-winded answers, seeming to test the judge’s patience. At one point Engoron addressed Trump’s lawyers, saying, “We got another speech,” and urging them to “control him if you can.”

As questioning continued, Trump defended the valuations of various Trump Organization properties said the company’s statements of financial condition included a disclaimer that absolved him of responsibility for inaccuracies.

Lawyers for the Trumps argued that the financial statements were accurate and well done, and also that valuations are subjective. They said that documents James’ lawyers called evidence of fraud were actually evidence of Trump’s “genius.” Any misrepresentations or breaks with accepted accounting practices were his accountants fault, they said.

The former president himself also blamed his accountants, but maintained that his financial statements actually undervalued his properties and net worth.

“I’m worth more than the numbers in the statement,” Trump said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.



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Gérard Depardieu skipping hearing on alleged sex assaults of 2 women, lawyer says, citing health reasons

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Paris — French actor Gérard Depardieu, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, won’t appear before a criminal court in Paris on Monday due to health reasons, his lawyer said.

Depardieu, who previously has denied any wrongdoing, is accused of using “violence, coercion, surprise or threat” in the alleged assault, which prosecutors said took place on the set of “Les Volets verts” (“The Green Shutters”).

Lawyer Jérémie Assous said doctors say the actor’s health doesn’t enable him to appear for the opening of the trial on Monday.

FILE PHOTO: Gerard Depardieu waves as he arrives during a red carpet event for the movie
Actor Gerard Depardieu waves as he arrives during a red carpet event for the movie “Novecento- Atto Primo,” at the 74th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Sept. 5, 2017.

Alessandro Bianchi / REUTERS


Depardieu “is deeply affected and unfortunately his doctors don’t allow him to appear at the hearing,” Assous told France Info radio.

Assous said he will ask the court for the postponement of the trial because his client “wishes to come, wants to express himself.”

Prosecutors say that in both cases, victims reported that the 75-year-old actor trapped them between his legs and groped their buttocks, genitals, chest and breasts over their clothes.

The trial was scheduled as France continues to reckon with sexual violence in the wake of the #MeToo movement that struggled to find traction, especially in the cinema industry.

One woman’s allegations  

One of the victims has been identified as a 53-year-old production designer. The Associated Press doesn’t generally identify victims of sexual assault without their consent. Her lawyer did not respond to an AP’s email on that matter.

According to Paris prosecutors, the woman told investigators that she’d first heard sexual remarks from Depardieu and then one day, as she walked past him, he had “grabbed her, pulled her toward him, blocked her with his legs, and groped her waist, hips and chest, accompanying his gestures with obscene remarks.”

Three people witnessed it, prosecutors said, confirming that the woman made an attempt to break away from Depardieu’s grip and that she seemed “shocked.” A psychiatrist’s examination resulted in her being granted a seven-day leave.

After the incident, it was arranged for Depardieu to apologize. But in a TV interview aired Saturday, the woman said the actor was furious and blamed her for causing trouble. Prosecutors said witnesses confirmed that what Depardieu had said did not constitute an apology.

In the interview with French online news site Mediapart, the production designer – who spoke on camera but only gave her first name – said the alleged assault had taken a toll on her personal and professional life for at least 1 1/2 years. She said she could not sleep well, suffered anxiety attacks and lost weight.

The woman, according to prosecutors, said it had taken her a while to file a complaint but she decided to do so after hearing on television that there had never been an incident during the shoot.

Another woman’s allegations

The month before the alleged assault, another woman also working on the film’s set had complained about Depardieu, Paris prosecutors said.

A director’s assistant told investigators Depardieu had touched her buttocks on several occasions. She had expressed her disapproval and in return, Depardieu, she said, had been insulting toward her. She was also given a six-day leave by a psychiatrist.

Assous, Depardieu’s lawyer, told the AP in an email Saturday that “the witnesses and evidence (Depardieu) will produce will demonstrate that he is the target of false accusations.”

Despite the allegations against Depardieu, many have come out in his support, including French President Emmanuel Macron.

Late last year, 56 French performers, writers and producers published an essay defending the film star, saying that when “Gérard Depardieu is targeted this way, it is the art (of cinema) that is being attacked.

Prior allegations

Their call came just weeks after national broadcaster France 2 put out a documentary outlining accusations of sexual misconduct by 16 women against Depardieu and showed the actor making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea.

In the footage, Depardieu can be seen making groaning sounds and sexual comments in front of women, including a girl about 10 years old who is horseback riding. He can also be seen posing for a photo, saying he was “touching the bottom” of a North Korean interpreter by his side.

He was charged in 2021 with rape and sexual assault after authorities revived a 2018 investigation that was initially dropped, following allegations from actor Charlotte Arnould.

In an open letter published in the conservative-leaning newspaper Le Figaro, Depardieu said last year: “I have never, ever abused a woman.”

The actor was long seen as a national icon in France. He has been a global ambassador for French film and enjoyed international fame with several roles in Hollywood.

Earlier this year, actor Judith Godrèche called on France’s film industry to “face the truth” on sexual violence and physical abuse during the Cesar Awards ceremony, France’s version of the Oscars.

Godrèche had previously alleged two prominent filmmakers sexually abused her when she was a teen, sending new shockwaves through the industry.

More recently, the ongoing trial of 50 men accused of raping a woman who had been previously drugged and rendered unconscious by her husband shook the country. Protests spread nationwide last weekend in support of the victim, a mother and grandmother in her early 70s, who has become a hero to many victims of sexual violence for insisting that her trial be open to the public.



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McDonald’s says Quarter Pounders will be sold again after beef patties ruled out as E. coli source

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Los Angeles — McDonald’s announced Sunday that Quarter Pounders will again be on its menu at hundreds of its restaurants after testing ruled out beef patties as the source of the outbreak of E. coli poisoning tied to the popular burgers that killed one person and sickened at least 75 others across 13 states.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to believe that slivered onions from a single supplier are the likely source of contamination, McDonald’s said in a statement. It said it will resume selling the Quarter Pounder at affected restaurants — without slivered onions – in the coming week.

As of Friday, the outbreak had expanded to at least 75 people sick in 13 states, federal health officials said. A total of 22 people had been hospitalized, and two developed a dangerous kidney disease complication, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. One person died in Colorado.

Early information analyzed by the FDA showed that uncooked slivered onions used on the burgers “are a likely source of contamination,” the agency said. McDonald’s has confirmed that Taylor Farms, a California-based produce company, was the supplier of the fresh onions used in the restaurants involved in the outbreak and that they had come from a facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

McDonald’s pulled the Quarter Pounder burger from menus in several states – mostly in the Midwest and Mountain states – when the outbreak was announced Tuesday. McDonald’s said Friday that slivered onions from the Colorado Springs facility were distributed to approximately 900 of its restaurants, including some in transportation hubs like airports.

The company said it removed slivered onions sourced from that facility from its supply chain on Tuesday. McDonald’s said it has decided to stop sourcing onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility “indefinitely.”

The 900 McDonald’s restaurants that normally received slivered onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of Quarter Pounders without slivered onions, McDonald’s said.

Testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture ruled out beef patties as the source of the outbreak, McDonald’s said.

The department of agriculture received multiple lots of fresh and frozen beef patties collected from various Colorado McDonald’s locations associated with the E. coli investigation. All samples were found to be negative for E. coli, the department said.

Taylor Farms said Friday that it had preemptively recalled yellow onions sent to its customers from its Colorado facility and continues to work with the CDC and the FDA as they investigate.

While it remains unclear if the recalled onions were the source of the outbreak, several other fast-food restaurants – including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King – pulled onions from some menus in certain areas this week.

Colorado had the most illnesses reported as of Friday, with 26 cases. At least 13 people were sickened in Montana, 11 in Nebraska, 5 each in New Mexico and Utah, 4 each in Missouri and Wyoming, two in Michigan and one each in Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, Wisconsin and Washington, the CDC reported.

McDonald’s said Friday it didn’t pull the Quarter Pounder from any additional restaurants and noted that some cases in states outside the original region were tied to travel.

The CDC said some people who got sick reported traveling to other states before their symptoms started. At least three people said they ate at McDonald’s during their travel. Illnesses were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11.

The outbreak involves infections with E. coli 0157:H7, a type of bacteria that produces a dangerous toxin. It causes about 74,000 infections in the U.S. annually, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to CDC.

Symptoms of E. coli poisoning can occur quickly, within a day or two of eating contaminated food. They typically include fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea and signs of dehydration – little or no peeing, increased thirst and dizziness. The infection is especially dangerous for children younger than 5 and people who are elderly, pregnant or who have weakened immune systems. 



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McDonald’s beef patties test negative for E. coli in Colorado, Department of Agriculture says

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Colorado has seemingly eliminated one ingredient as a cause for death and illness, as states continue to investigate the source of an E. coli outbreak involving the Quarter Pounder hamburger at dozens of McDonald’s locations. As a result, the Quarter Pounder will begin to return to certain locations.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture announced McDonald’s brand “fresh and frozen beef patties” tested negative for E. coli after its lab analyzed dozens of subsamples.

CDA says it has completed all beef testing and does not anticipate receiving further samples.

Meanwhile, the federal investigation into the deadly E. coli outbreak in Colorado has focused on ground beef patties and onions. There continues to be no evidence that onions grown in Colorado are linked to the outbreak.

According to McDonald’s, The 900 restaurants that historically received slivered onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of Quarter Pounders without slivered onions. Those restaurants are in Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah. The restaurant chain also noted it has stopped getting onions from that facility indefinitely.

“The issue appears to be contained to a particular ingredient and geography, and we remain very confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and is out of all McDonald’s restaurants,” McDonald’s North American Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Piña said in a statement Sunday

Since the outbreak was first announced, CBS News Colorado confirmed one older man on the Western Slope died after consuming a Quarter Pounder from a McDonald’s location in the state. Initial information also confirmed more than two dozen people had become ill due to E. coli-affected Quarter Pounders.

Nationwide, this outbreak has sickened 75 people in more than a dozen states, but Colorado remains the only state impacted that has experienced a death due to it. 

The Colorado Department of Public Health says there have been 26 cases reported in nine different Colorado counties, and they are located in several different parts of the state:

  • Arapahoe County
  • Chaffee County
  • El Paso County
  • Gunnison County
  • Larimer County
  • Mesa County
  • Routt County
  • Teller County
  • Weld County

The illnesses were reported between the last days of September and through Oct. 11. An investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention into the outbreak is ongoing.

McDonald’s company leaders previously said they’ve taken Quarter Pounders off the menu in states where there have been outbreaks.



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