NY appeals court declines to halt Trump’s civil fraud trial while he contests a pretrial ruling

A New York appeals judge declined Friday to halt Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, rebuffing the former president’s request to postpone it while he fights a pretrial ruling that could strip him of control of such assets as Trump Tower.

The appellate judge agreed that control over the holdings will stay as-is for now.

Friday’s decision came five days into the closely watched trial, which drew Trump to the courthouse to observe — and fulminate — for days this week.

Trump's lawyers had asked the state’s intermediate appellate court to suspend the trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit and prevent Judge Arthur Engoron from enforcing his ruling of last week, which revokes the Republican frontrunner's business licenses and puts a court-appointed receiver in charge of his companies.

“This is a massive error. It is irreparable," Trump attorney Christopher Kise told an appeals judge Friday afternoon. Kise argued that the ruling will make defendants in other cases fear that their companies and properties will be seized without recourse.