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No fraud trial for Trump before presidential election, judge says
The candidate will face trial over real estate university after Nov. 8
Donald Trump won’t have to divide his time between the campaign trail and a federal courthouse.
The jury trial over the defunct Trump University will instead start 20 days after the Nov. 8 presidential election. Thousands of former students from Florida, New York and California claim the university falsely promised to reveal the real estate tycoon’s investment secrets in exchange for $35,000 tuition.
Trump’s attorney requested that the trial be held next year, but the plaintiffs’s attorney argued for an earlier date, Bloomberg reported. U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel struck a compromise, saying he was concerned about the media attention that the case would attract.
“I’m thinking of my jury,” he said. “Will they be able to stay clear of the media frenzy that will occur and will we be able to insulate them from events that may occur outside the courthouse?”
Trump will also face a fraud claim in New York in relation to Trump University. A New York appeals court revived the claim in March, but a trial date has not yet been set.
Last month, The Real Deal dove into Trump’s long history of litigation and what it may reveal about his leadership style. – [Bloomberg] Kathryn Brenzel