Ivanka Trump, the eldest daughter of former President Donald Trump, has been excused from a New York fraud lawsuit by an appeals court, ruling the charges against her as "time-barred." Ivanka, who left the family business in 2017 to assist her father in his political endeavors, saw the claims against her dismissed on Tuesday.
The ruling stated: "The allegations against defendant Ivanka Trump do not support any claims that accrued after February 6, 2016. Thus, all claims against her should have been dismissed as untimely."
Simultaneously, the New York state Appellate Division's five-judge panel narrowed down the span of the claims against the other defendants in the case. Upholding a lower court's decision, the judges rejected the Trump family's appeal to have the entire case, slated for an October trial, thrown out.
The $250 million lawsuit surfaced in September, following New York Attorney General Letitia James's allegations. James accused the Trump Organization of manipulating its property valuations - inflating them while pursuing bank loans, then downplaying them to minimize tax payments.
Among those named in the lawsuit were Donald Trump, his three oldest children – Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric – as well as the Trump Organization.
Tensions have reportedly risen among the siblings in recent months. RadarOnline.com previously reported that Ivanka distanced herself from Donald Jr. and Eric following her decision not to participate in their father's potential 2024 political campaign, despite his request for her backing.
In the face of the lawsuit, Trump has consistently asserted his innocence and condemned James's investigation as a "witch hunt." Following the latest court ruling, his lawyer, Chris Kise, echoed Trump's sentiments in a public statement.
According to Kise, the court's decision marked "the first step towards ending a case that should never have been filed." He also stated the ruling would now appropriately restrict the Attorney General's previously unfettered authority.
Kise expressed confidence about the case's outcome, stating, "Going forward, we remain confident that once all the real facts are known, there will be no doubt President Trump has built an extraordinarily successful business empire and has simply done nothing other than generate tremendous profits for those financial institutions involved in the transactions at issue in the litigation."