New York (CNN) — Ivanka Trump must testify at her father’s New York civil fraud trial, the judge overseeing the case ruled on Friday.
New York Judge Arthur Engoron denied a motion from Ivanka Trump’s attorneys to quash a subpoena for her testimony, though he said her testimony should not be scheduled before Wednesday to give her time to appeal his ruling.
Ivanka Trump’s attorney had argued that she should not be forced to appear after an appellate court removed her as a defendant in the case.
“Ms. Trump has clearly availed herself of the privilege of doing business in New York,” Engoron said.
The judge also said Ivanka Trump should have submitted an affidavit asserting that she does not live or work in the state presently. “Only she can tell us that, and it’s too late to do that now,” Engoron said.
Following his decision, Engoron quickly denied a follow-up request from Donald Trump’s attorney Chris Kise to entertain a deposition from Ivanka Trump taken in Florida. “We want her here in person,” Engoron said, noting that he prefers to hear testimony live in court.
Attorneys for Donald and Ivanka Trump argued that Ivanka Trump has not lived or worked in New York since 2017, so the court does not have jurisdiction over her, accusing New York Attorney General Letitia James of seeking her testimony to create a media spectacle.
Kise called the subpoena “continued harassment of President Trump’s children.”
“They just want another free-for-all on one of President Trump’s children,” Kise said. “They want her in the courtroom so it can be filled with media and we can have another circus day.”
Ivanka Trump had initially been listed as a co-defendant – along with Donald Trump, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and several Trump Organization executives – in the $250 million lawsuit filed…
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