A New York appeals court has thrown out the bid of former US President Donald Trump to delay his civil fraud trial set for October 2. The panel of five judges at the Appellate Division in Manhattan, considered a mid-level appeals court, said that they would issue an opinion explaining their reasoning in due course. They also lifted an order by Justice David Friedman on September 14, temporarily stopping the trial while reviewing Trump's motion. Interestingly, it is worth mentioning that Friedman was one of the judges who made this latest ruling.

Only two days ago, state court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and his family business have consistently and fraudulently inflated the valuation of his assets and net worth to secure better loan and insurance terms. In 2022, former President Donald Trump was sued by state Attorney General Letitia James, who accused him, along with his adult sons, the Trump Organization, and others, of engaging in "staggering fraud" related to property valuations for loans and insurance.

James is seeking penalties of at least $250 million, a ban on Trump and his sons Donald Jr. and Eric from running businesses in New York, as well as five years' prohibition for Trump and his companies in commercial real estate operations. Lawyers acting for Trump together with the additional defendants did not issue immediate comments, while James' office also had no comment then.

The case has nothing to do with the four criminal indictments against Trump, including charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The former president has pleaded not guilty in all those cases and painted them as part of a politically driven Democratic campaign designed to keep him out of the White House. Importantly, Trump's legal woes have also done nothing to snuff out talk over whether or not he will run for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.