The investigation into the Trump Organization by New York State Attorney General Letitia James has led to a contempt of court charge against real estate behemoth Cushman & Wakefield.
During the course of the investigation, Cushman & Wakefield refused to comply with subpoenas, so Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron fined the company $10,000 per day on Tuesday, starting on Thursday.
The judge viewed the firm’s repeated failure to meet deadlines—which included asking for an extension two days after a deadline in June—as “willful non-compliance.”
When Cushman & Wakefield started asking for yet another extension two days after the court-ordered deadline had passed, Judge Engoron wrote that the Court was “incredulous” and that “failure to seek an extension in a timely matter is fatal to its motion.”
The firm provides no “good cause for filing its motion after its time to comply had already expired,” he continued. AG James said he was happy with the judge’s choice.
“We’re glad the court acknowledged that and acted to compel Cushman to abide by our subpoenas. No one or organization, no matter how strong, is above the law, according to her.
The Trump Organization used Cushman & Wakefield for a variety of services, including brokerages and appraisals for the following properties: 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles, and the Seven Springs estate in Westchester, New York.
Nearly a week after the same judge lifted a contempt order against former President Donald Trump, Cushman & Wakefield was charged with contempt. Trump and his organization have previously accused the AG of conducting a witch hunt and deny any wrongdoing in connection with her investigation.
Asserting that the contempt charge “demonstrates a failure to understand the extreme lengths Cushman has gone to comply with the Court’s order,” Cushman & Wakefield also reject any wrongdoing. The company mentions providing the AG with 650 appraisals and turning over hundreds of thousands of pages of documents since February 2022.
The company further stated, “Cushman disagrees with any allegation that the firm has not exercised diligence and good faith in complying with the Court’s order, and we will be appealing this decision.
