Trump Ordered to Pay $1 Million Penalty for ‘Frivolous’ Lawsuit, Drops Case Against NY AG

Donald Trump has voluntarily dropped his lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

According to Deadline, the former president sued James in November 2022, less than two months after the AG filed a $250 million civil lawsuit against the Trump family. James claimed the ex-POTUS had committed business fraud and misled banks about the value of his assets. The former Apprentice host went on to file a countersuit in an attempt to block the AG from accessing his private trust. The latter suit alleged James was abusing her power for political gain, as well as waging a “war of intimidation and harassment.”

Trump formally withdrew his complaint against James on Friday, shortly after he and his team were ordered to pay nearly $1 million for filing a “frivolous” lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks issued the sanctions Thursday as part of a separate suit against Hillary Clinton. Trump claimed Clinton, the DNC, former FBI Director James Comey, and others of conspiring “to weave a false narrative” about his alleged collusion with Russia. Middlebrooks called the allegations “categorically absurd” and “should never have been brought”.

“Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim,” the judge wrote. “Thirty-one individuals and entities were needlessly harmed in order to dishonestly advance a political narrative. A continuing pattern of misuse of the courts by Mr. Trump and his lawyers undermines the rule of law, portrays judges as partisans, and diverts resources from those who have suffered actual legal harm.”

Middlebrooks then highlighted Trump’s suit against James, CNN, Twitter, and others.

“To be clear, the sanction in this case is not imposed against Mr. Trump for the Pulitzer, Twitter, or CNN litigation,” the judge continued. “Those cases are before other judges who will make their own determinations.”

James has not publicly commented on Trump’s decision to withdraw the lawsuit.