'Not an exact science': Trump defense witness says valuing property is expected to be hazy
November 16, 2023
An expert witness for Donald Trump's defense testified that determining an accurate estimated value of a property was virtually impossible.
Jason Flemmons, who was deemed by the court to be an accounting expert, told Supreme Court justice Arthur Engoron that estimating property value could result in a range of numbers, "no one of which is the right or wrong answer," reported ABC News.
"Estimated current value is not an exact science," Flemmons said. "There is not one single correct value that comes of this exercise."
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Flemmons said that, as long as Trump used an approved method to determine value and disclosed how the method he used reached that conclusion, his estimated value would be appropriate.
"You are communicating that to the user and allowing that user to be in a position to agree or disagree," Flemmons said.
Trump and his associates have already been found liable of fraud for inflating property values at his company, Trump Org., to secure loans and insurance. The ongoing trial is largely to determine damages.