Trump says he’ll appear at civil fraud trial in New York on Monday

By CNN Newsource

Published October 1, 2023 3:44 PM

By Alayna Treene and Kristen Holmes, CNN

(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump said he will go to court in New York for his civil fraud trial on Monday.

“I’m going to Court tomorrow morning to fight for my name and reputation,” he posted on Truth Social Sunday evening.

Trump had been expected to attend, and law enforcement and court employees had already been making security preparations for his potential appearance at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan on Monday and possibly Tuesday.

Trump’s plans started to become clear after a federal judge in Florida granted his request to postpone a deposition in a separate case because it would conflict with the start of the New York trial.

The former president will fly to New York City on Sunday evening following a campaign event in Ottumwa, Iowa, and will spend the night at Trump Tower in Manhattan, three sources familiar with his schedule said.

The civil fraud case – brought in September 2022 by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump, his eldest sons, their companies and several executives – will begin at 10 a.m. Monday.

Last week, the judge overseeing the case dealt Trump a major blow in ruling that the former president is liable for fraud and that he overvalued his properties on his financial statements for a decade.

The ruling came in response to the lawsuit by James, who is seeking $250 million in damages, a ban on the Trumps from serving as officers of a business in New York, and a ban on the company from engaging in business transactions for five years.

This story and headline have been updated with Trump saying he’ll go to court.

CNN’s Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell contributed to this report.