May 27 (UPI) — U.S. District Judge Brenda Sannes on Friday tossed former President Donald Trump‘s suit seeking to block New York Attorney General Letitia James from investigating his businesses.
Sannes’ ruling thwarts Trump’s effort to stop James’ civil investigation into Trump enterprises, which Trump argued was being conducted in bad faith and in violation of his constitutional rights.
“While the New York proceeding has been ongoing since August 2020, Plaintiffs have submitted no evidence that the subpoena enforcement proceeding has been conducted in such a way as to constitute harassment,” Sannes said in the ruling.
Sannes also rejected the lawsuit’s attempt to require an evidentiary hearing into whether the state attorney general investigation is being conducted in bad faith.
“Plaintiffs have failed to identify a disputed issue of fact here which would require an evidentiary hearing,” Sannes wrote.
Trump attorney Alina Habba said there will be an appeal.
“There is no question that we will be appealing this decision,” Habba said in an emailed statement, according to The Hill. “If Ms. James’s egregious conduct and harassing investigation does not meet the bad faith exception to the Younger abstention doctrine, then I cannot imagine a scenario that would.”
The Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division had already ruled against Trump, compelling him to comply with subpoenas demanding depositions and documents.
That ruling said Trump, Donald Trump, Jr. and Ivanka Trump must answer questions under oath about how their real estate business valued its holdings.
