AFP / MANDEL NGAN
KEY POINTS
- Ivanka previously shared legal counsel with her brothers Eric and Don Jr.
- Ivanka’s hired attorneys Figel and Kellogg withdrew from her team on April 18
- Ivanka and her brothers are expected to go to trial beginning in October
Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of former President Donald Trump, has replaced her lawyers in the $250 million fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Ivanka previously shared legal counsel with her brothers Eric and Don Jr., specifically Clifford Robert and Michael Farina from the law firm Robert & Robert. They were working alongside Reid Figel and Michael Kellogg of Kellogg Hansen — two other Washington, DC-based attorneys Ivanka hired independently of her brothers.
However, the recent change means Ivanka will now be solely represented by Bennet Moskowitz of the firm Troutman Pepper. Moskowitz previously represented the estate of late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, as first reported by Forbes.
The split was first alluded to on March 6 when one of the attorneys representing Ivanka asked the judge to delay the trial.
“The complaint does not contain a single allegation that Ms. Trump directly or indirectly created, prepared, reviewed or certified any of her father’s financial statements. The complaint affirmatively alleges that other individuals were responsible for those tasks,” the attorney wrote in a letter to Justice Arthur Engoron.
The request was followed by a withdrawal by Figel and Kellogg. On April 21, just three days after the withdrawal, Moskowitz informed the court that he was now taking over as Ivanka’s counsel. He also said Robert and Farina, who represented her brothers, were also no longer representing her.
Ivanka and her brothers are expected to go to trial beginning in October over James’ civil suit, filed last September, wherein the Trump family is accused of fraudulently inflating the values of its assets to obtain more favorable loans and tax benefits from 2011 to 2021. Of Ivanka specifically, the suit claimed she was involved in securing loans to buy Florida and Chicago properties in 2021, with the loans being issued due to false financial statements.
“On each of those transactions with Deutsche Bank, Ms. Trump was aware that the transactions included a personal guaranty from Mr. Trump that required him to provide annual Statements of Financial Condition and certifications,” the suit noted.
The lawsuit is seeking $250 million in restitution. If found guilty, Donald and all three of his children will be removed from their roles at their family business. They will also be banned from seeking future leadership roles in New York.
