Court Digest

New York
Judge says civil trial over Trump’s real estate boasts could last months
NEW YORK (AP) — An upcoming civil trial over allegations that former president Donald Trump lied about his wealth could last as long as three months, according to a schedule laid out Friday by the judge hearing the case.

Opening arguments are expected Oct. 2 in the trial over a lawsuit filed against Trump and his family business by New York Attorney General Letitia James. In the suit, James has said Trump deceived lenders, potential business associates and others by chronically exaggerating the value of his real estate holdings.

The trial is expected to feature extensive amounts of expert testimony over how much Trump holdings, like his golf courses and skyscrapers, were actually worth. Judge Arthur Engoron, in an order filed Friday, said the trial should end by Dec. 22, though he added that the lawyers handling the case could ask for additional time if necessary.

Trump has defended his asset valuations, saying that his estates, skyscrapers and golf clubs were luxurious, unique properties made even more valuable because of his personal brand.

He has also said that, even if some of the valuations listed in his financial statements weren’t accurate, it didn’t matter because each came with a disclaimer intended to tell banks that they were potentially “worthless” and shouldn’t be relied on to make important business decisions.

James, a Democrat, has argued that Trump’s financial claims were deceptive, designed to get him more favorable terms on loans, among other things. In a court filing Friday, she said Trump inflated his net worth by at least between $812 million to $2.2 billion, depending on the year, and possibly by as much as $3.6 billion.

The trial, which could also potentially take less than the three months the judge has allotted, will come as Trump is also preparing for trials in four different criminal cases filed against him in Florida, Georgia, New York and Washington D.C.
Some of those trials could come near the height of the Republican presidential primary, where voters will be deciding whether to make Trump the party’s primary challenger to President Joe Biden.

California
District to pay $2.25M to settle lawsuit involving teacher who had student’s baby
REDLANDS, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California school district will pay $2.25 million to settle the latest lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was accused of sexually abusing.

The settlement brings to $8.25 million the amount paid by Redlands Unified School District to Laura Whitehurst’s victims since her 2013 arrest, the Southern California News Group reported Sunday.

In August 2016, the district agreed to pay $6 million to a former student who impregnated Whitehust while she was his teacher.

The latest lawsuit was filed in 2021 by another former student who alleged he was preyed upon and sexually abused at Redlands High School by Whitehurst in 2007 and 2008 when he was 14, according to the plaintiff’s attorney, Morgan Stewart. Whitehurst admitted to police in 2013 she had sex with the youth 10 to 15 times in her classroom and at her apartment, a police report stated.

Redlands Unified spokesperson Christine Stephens said Friday that the district was aware of the recent settlement, but could not comment due to confidentiality agreements.

In the other lawsuit, the boy who fathered Whitehurst’s child alleged that Redlands Unified officials knew of his relationship with the teacher and failed to warn his family.

Whitehurst gave birth in 2014 after having sex with the boy for a year, starting when he was 16.

Whitehurst, who taught English and was a soccer coach, pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with three former students. She served six months in jail and registered as a sex offender.

Minnesota
Meat processing plant accused of hiring minors agrees to pay $300K in penalties
MADELIA, Minn. (AP) — A meat processing company in Minnesota on Friday agreed to pay $300,000 in penalties after an investigation found it employed children as young as 13 to work in hazardous conditions, such as operating meat grinders, while they worked overnight shifts and longer hours than allowed by law.

Tony Downs Food Company, based in Mankato, also agreed to obey child labor laws and hire a compliance specialist as part of a consent order with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

“In this case, Tony Downs has agreed to take important steps to prevent child labor violations,” department Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach said in a statement. “All employers should provide training to their employees to help recognize potential child labor violations and take steps to ensure they are not employing children in violation of state and federal laws.”

The agency says the meat processing company employed at least eight children ranging from ages 14 to 17 at its plant in Madelia. Investigators also have identified other employees who were hired before they were 18 years old, the department said.

The young employees, one of whom was 13 years old when hired, operated meat grinders, ovens and forklifts on overnight shifts and also worked in areas where meat products are flash frozen with carbon monoxide and ammonia, according to the complaint. They also allegedly worked longer hours than permitted by law, and some were injured.

Tony Downs “disputes and does not admit the violations of law alleged” by the labor department, according to the agreement.

The investigation into Tony Downs began after the Minnesota labor department received a complaint about working conditions at the Madelia plant, according to the complaint. Investigators conducted an overnight inspection between Jan. 26 and Jan. 27, interviewed workers, documented working conditions and contacted area school districts. The company also provided employee records through February.

The labor department found that Tony Downs was aware of the issue. It also learned that minors were working under assumed names and were not native English speakers, according to the complaint.

Minnesota law prohibits employers from hiring minors to work in hazardous conditions. Employers also are prohibited from requiring employees under the age of 16 to work after 9 p.m., more than eight hours a day or more than 40 hours a week.

Massachusetts
Man convicted of murder in 1993 to get new trial due to DNA evidence
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts judge granted a new trial to a man who was found guilty of murder in 1993 after new DNA evidence called the conviction into question.

Thomas Rosa was convicted of the 1985 killing of 18-year-old Gwendolyn Taylor. Rosa, who has always maintained his innocence, was tried three times for the killing.

Suffolk Superior Court Justice Michael Ricciuti issued an order Wednesday that vacates Rosa’s conviction and opens the possibility of a new trial. Ricciuti wrote that new DNA evidence “casts doubt regarding the reliability of the eyewitness testimony” in the case.

The New England Innocence Project and the Boston College Innocence Program said the district attorney should “end this almost forty-year nightmare, rather than try him again for a fourth time.”

District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office is “ reviewing the ruling and will announce our decision at a future date,” spokesman James Borghesani told the Boston Globe.


Indiana
Officer gets 1 year in prison for kicking ­handcuffed man in the face during arrest
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis police officer who pleaded guilty to kicking a handcuffed man in the face during a 2021 arrest was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison Friday by a judge who said the attack “shocked the conscience.”

The sentence is less than the 1 1/2 to 2 years in prison that prosecutors had sought for Sgt. Eric Huxley, who pleaded guilty in May to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for his attack on Jermaine Vaughn in September 2021.

U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson cited Huxley’s lack of criminal history, his family’s needs and his acceptance of responsibility for what he did in giving him a yearlong prison term, The Indianapolis Star reported. Magnus-Stinson also ordered Huxley to two years of supervised release after he completes his prison term, with home detention for the first six months.

Magnus-Stinson admonished Huxley for committing an act that “shocked the conscience” and said she “physically pulled away” when she watched the body camera footage of the attack at downtown Indianapolis’ Monument Circle.
“It was that brutal,” she said.

Vaughn, who is Black, was homeless at the time, his attorney has said. He was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and later charged with two misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement, but both of those charges were dismissed.

Federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum that Huxley “betrayed the trust of the community he served” when he attacked Vaughn and that he acted as a “rogue officer” who abused his power.

Huxley’s attorney, John Kautzman, had pushed for no prison time, just probation. If the court found that inappropriate, Kautzman suggested six months in prison plus a year of home confinement,

In a response to prosecutors’ memorandum, Kautzman called Huxley’s actions “serious and troublesome” but said they amounted to “a one-time totally out of character lapse in judgment.”

Kautzman said Huxley was worried about not being there for his teenage daughter and not being able to care for his aging parents.

Huxley remains on suspension without pay from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Police Chief Randal Taylor has recommended the officer’s termination to the Civilian Police Merit Board.

In a lawsuit filed against the city, the police force and Huxley, Vaughn said he suffered “extensive physical injuries.” The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, is pending.