Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons 2.0
In a motion recently filed in a San Diego Federal Court, Donald Trump’s attorneys requested that comments made by Trump regarding Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel’s Mexican heritage be excluded as evidence in Trump University’s upcoming trial.
The grounds on which the motion was filed is that such comments “are both irrelevant to the issues in this case and highly prejudicial to Defendants.” The defense also claimed that such comments could be used “in an attempt to inflame and prejudice the jury.”
Trump argues that his political stance on anti-immigration policies may have caused Curiel to create a bias against him. “Based on the rulings that I have received in the Trump University civil case, I feel justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial,” stated Trump.
The request to exclude Trump’s remarks was not the only motion made to exempt certain aspects of Trump’s presidential candidacy from the trial. Specifically, Trump’s attorney’s also asked that statements regarding the following areas be exempted:
- Campaign speeches
- Statements at political rallies, including statements about this case
- Statements at debates
- Statements about individuals or entities unrelated to this litigation
- Campaign advertisements
- Tweets
- Statements by campaign surrogates
- Audio and video recordings made or publicized during the campaign
- Tax issues
- Comments about this case or the Court
- Donald J. Trump Foundation or other businesses owned or managed by Mr. Trump not part of this litigation, including Trump Organization
- Personal conduct accusations
- Other politicians, state attorneys general, or public servants
- Beauty pageants, casinos, and corporate bankruptcies
- Other litigation
Another request was made to exclude an article written by David Lazarus, which details the viewing of a “preview” for Trump University in 2007. However, this specific article may contain important evidence relating to the alleged fraud orchestrated by Trump University. Thus, determining relevant evidence to be presented during trial may become a significant challenge during a hearing of the motion in November. The hearing on the motion has been scheduled for November 10, while a trial regarding the Trump University case has been set for November 28.
Leave a Comment