Trump lawyer Alina Habba busted over her 'no jury' meltdown by legal experts
Donald Trump's attorney Alina Habba attacked Judge Arthur Engoron Monday for not allowing the jury to rule on the $250 million-plus lawsuit, even though the former president's legal team never requested one, according to NBC News's senior legal correspondent.
Habba, who Raw Story reported dropped the ball on making that jury request, spoke to Laura Jarrett outside the New York courthouse shortly after a tumultuous morning saw Trump testify in the civil trial.
Jarrett was quick to jump on the false accusation, which she blamed on Trump's outrage at court proceedings.
"It's clear, case, this case has struck a nerve," she told Chris Jansing Monday afternoon as the court broke for lunch. "We saw flashes of anger throughout the morning, pointing at the judge, yelling at the judge, calling the attorney general who brought this case as a political hack to her face. These are things we've heard him say outside the courtroom so many times. But saying them on the witness stand, standing in that box, I have to say, was a very different experience, unlike anything I've ever seen in a courtroom."
Jarrett explained that the civil statute does not generally allow for a jury trial and that, had Trump's team wanted one, there was a little box on court filings to check.
"They didn't request it," Jarrett said. "I think that's really sort of misdirection at this point."
Jarrett suggested Habba's ultimate goal was to poke holes in Engoron's summary judgment, which found Trump liable for fraud. It was a finding that Trump's team has indicated they intend to appeal.
"The real question she's getting to is whether the judge made a predetermination pretrial," Jarrett said. "That happens every day in courts all across America. It's called summary judgment."
The NBC analyst noted such summary judgments are commonplace and legitimate results in civil trials. But reports from Trump's testimony show he took Engoron's judgment personally.
"That is one of the things that really made Trump fly off the handle," Jarrett said. "He pointed at him, screaming at him. 'You called me a fraud! You don't even know me!' Again, the judge didn't call him a fraud, but he did say that the state has produced enough evidence that he is liable for fraud under New York law."
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