Donald Trump voluntarily dismissed the Florida lawsuit he filed against New York Attorney General Letitia James challenging parts of her $250 million fraud case against him and his business, a rare retreat by the former president in his long-running clash with her.
(Bloomberg) — Donald Trump voluntarily dismissed the Florida lawsuit he filed against New York Attorney General Letitia James challenging parts of her $250 million fraud case against him and his business, a rare retreat by the former president in his long-running clash with her.
Trump’s notice of dismissal was filed with US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks in West Palm Beach on Friday, the deadline for Trump to respond to a motion by James, a Democrat, to dismiss the suit.
The filing didn’t elaborate on why the suit was dropped, but it came about 12 hours after the same judge ordered Trump and one of his top lawyers to pay $1 million in legal fees and expenses for filing a “frivolous” lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and others he accused of a vast conspiracy.
Trump’s complaint against James, filed in November, accused her of conducting a “relentless, pernicious, public, and unapologetic crusade against President Trump” and accused her of trying to destroy him “personally, financially and politically.”
James argued in her motion to dismiss the Florida suit that the court doesn’t have jurisdiction over her because she has no connection to the state Trump calls home. She said claims by the former president that her suit in New York is politically motivated have all failed.
James’s wide-ranging fraud suit in New York against Trump, three of his children and the Manhattan-based Trump Organization is heading for trial in October. The Trumps are accused of manipulating the value of assets for years to deceive banks and insurers. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
Read More: Trump Florida Suit Is ‘End Run’ Around NY Fraud Case, AG Says
(Updates with detail from court filing.)
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