NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump is seeking a six-month extension to meet deadlines for gathering evidence in the New York attorney general’s fraud case against the former US president.
If granted, the scheduled October 2 trial will likely be delayed well into 2024, well into that year’s presidential campaign. Trump is seeking a second term in the White House.
In a filing Friday in a Manhattan court in New York, Trump said “fundamental notions of fair play and due process” justified delaying Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million case.
He said a delay was justified by the “staggering” amount of material and dozens of potential witnesses to question, and that talks with James’ office about an “amicable solution” failed.
Trump’s request was joined by the other defendants, including his children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka and the Trump Organization.
James’ office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The defendants are aiming for deadlines of September 29 for discovery of facts, December 5 for discovery of expert witnesses and December 8 for a certificate of readiness for trial.
James sued Trump and the other defendants in September for their alleged role in a decade-long scheme to manipulate the value of Trump’s assets and wealth to get better terms from banks and insurers.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
