(Cupventi.com) – In recent legal developments, former President Donald Trump has been fined $5,000 by New York Judge Arthur Engoron for breaching a partial gag order instituted in the civil trial connected to the investigation led by New York Attorney General Letitia James into the Trump family’s business dealings. This action was taken following an incident where Trump criticized a member of the judge’s office on social media, prompting the issuance of the gag order.
Judge Engoron’s concern stemmed from a post made by Trump on October 3, in which he made untrue and disparaging remarks about a member of the judge’s office on his Truth Social account. This post falsely claimed a personal relationship between the law clerk and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and suggested that the case should be dismissed. Judge Engoron promptly ordered Trump to remove this post.
Following Trump’s removal of the post and his assurance not to engage in similar behavior, the judge imposed the partial gag order to emphasize that personal attacks on court staff were unacceptable and would not be tolerated. However, it later came to light that the offending post remained on Trump’s website for 17 days before removal.
Despite Trump’s legal team characterizing the violation as “inadvertent” and a result of campaign structures, Judge Engoron asserted that Trump had unequivocally violated the gag order and emphasized that further violations would lead to more severe consequences.
As a consequence of Trump’s position and the fact that this was considered a first-time violation, the court imposed a nominal fine of $5,000. Judge Engoron made it clear that any future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, could result in harsher penalties, including more substantial fines, contempt of court charges, or even imprisonment under New York Judiciary Law.
This legal action is part of the ongoing trial initiated by Attorney General Letitia James, accusing Trump and his company of misleading banks and others regarding the value of his assets. While Ivanka Trump was dismissed as a defendant in a previous appellate ruling, the case continues, with Trump vehemently criticizing the lawsuit, the absence of a jury, and Judge Engoron. Engoron had previously ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had engaged in fraudulent activities related to their real estate dealings.
In a separate development, a federal judge, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, imposed a partial gag order on Trump, preventing him from making statements targeting Special Counsel Jack Smith, his staff, witnesses, and court personnel in a case related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Chutkan clarified that while Trump could criticize the Justice Department in general terms and express his belief that the case was politically motivated, he could not engage in attacks against prosecutors or court staff. The judge warned of potential sanctions if Trump violated this partial gag order.