Frank G. Runyeon Profile picture
Journalist. 🤨 I’m here for the documents | NY Courts Reporter @Law360 | Past work in Gothamist, NYTimes, NBC, City&StateNY | CUJ ‘12 frank.runyeon@law360.com
Diana Roby Profile picture maria bowen Profile picture 3 subscribed
Jul 2 5 tweets 3 min read
Trump's immunity letter (public now) shows his key argument is that "official-acts evidence should never have been put before the jury."

What exactly are we talking about?
- Hope Hicks' testimony
- Tweets
- Ethics filing
- Call records
Image HICKS' TESTIMONY: ADA Steinglass called testimony by Trump's fmr White House aide Hope Hicks "devastating," defense notes.

But that should never have been introduced at trial, presumably because the conversation was between the president and his staffer. Image
May 25 7 tweets 4 min read
New: DA & Trump's proposed jury charges landed on the paper docket. @Law360 scanned them in for you.

(No final jury charge on paper until the jury hears it)
law360.com/newyork-vs-tru…
Image Among the dueling proposals:

** Falsifying Business Records (first degree) **

Trump sought to tell jurors they needed to find "two separate intents" inside the intent to commit *another* crime.

In the hearing, that went over like a wet balloon.
documentcloud.org/documents/2468…


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Apr 24 5 tweets 3 min read
The @ManhattanDA's theory of Trump's conspiracy to undermine the 2016 election isn't new. Why are folks saying it is?

ℹ️ Trump's 34 counts of falsifying business records are upped to felonies if done to commit *another* crime.

DA named 4 in May 2023, judge OKs 3 in February.👇 Image The @ManhattanDA first advanced its theory on May 12, 2023 – a month after his arraignment – that Trump "intended to commit or aid or conceal violations of New York Election Law § 17-152," which reads ...

*Conspiracy to promote or prevent election*
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Apr 22 5 tweets 1 min read
NEW: NY Courts will release daily transcripts of Donald Trump's criminal trial. Image This is a truly remarkable development. Court stenographers control their work and charge varying rates. The transcript is never dropped into the case file.

It can be *$6.50 per page* a day for these "daily" transcripts. A day can be 200 pages = $1,300 a day.
Apr 16 9 tweets 2 min read
DAY 2: Trump’s hush money trial continues today with jury selection. Yesterday, we saw about 50 people excuse themselves for bias reasons – without explanation.

We’ve got about 30 people left on that slate of prospective jurors and 9 have answered questionnaires. Image Trump is sitting at the defense table the courtroom, as his attorneys mill about. Attys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove are whispering in Trump’s ear.
Apr 9 4 tweets 2 min read
New: Trump subpoenaed the wrong guy, @ManhattanDA says. Trump seeks records from an ex-DA investigator but got the wrong Jeremy Rosenberg.

"I don't have any files for you," J.R. said and told Trump's atty, before adding, "I'm keeping the fifteen dollars" in witness travel fees.
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Trump asked the court to enforce his subpoena against J.R. , decrying his “flippant and dismissive approach” to it.

Trump says (a different?) Rosenberg had contact w/ Michael Cohen that may show “bias and hostility" toward Trump & “the lack of integrity” in investigation. Image
Apr 8 7 tweets 2 min read
Now: Trump seeks to lift his gag order and to move his trial out of Manhattan, his attys tell @Law360, seeking emergency relief from an appellate judge this morning.

A docket shows Justice Merchan has been sued by Trump, under seal, likely tied to gag appeal. @Law360 We are still waiting. What will follow is among the odd things in NY courts:

One side tells the other they're seeking emergency relief, with little notice. They show up, hoping a judge will see them. If so, they go to a little room. No steno. They argue. The judge rules.
Mar 25 14 tweets 4 min read
Good Morning.

Today, Donald Trump makes a last-ditch effort to dismiss his hush money indictment or delay his trial.

I will be in the courtroom for @Law360. @stewartbishop will be in the hallway pen asking Trump questions.

Kick off at 9:30 a.m. Press thru security. We wait. @Law360 @stewartbishop Here's the context: Trump subpoenaed records from SDNY prosecutors on his ex-atty and key witness Michael Cohen. A flood of 100,000 came in this month.

Trump says docs are exculpatory & the case should be tossed. DA disagrees. Justice Merchan will decide. law360.com/articles/18160…
Mar 21 10 tweets 4 min read
NEW: The @Law360 Trump Digital Docket

There is no digital case file for Trump's hush money case – or any official index of filings for NY criminal cases. So, we created one.

This service is free to all and will be updated📄💻🛜
law360.com/newyork-vs-tru…
Image IN-DEPTH: Disorganized, incomplete and delayed. The mass of paper that makes up the official criminal record in New York does not even have a docket sheet.

Welcome to NY State Supreme Court, Criminal Term, where Donald Trump faces trial.
law360.com/articles/18125…
Nov 29, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
New: Trump subject to "enhanced monitoring" after Trump Org. monitor Barbara Jones identifies $40M in undisclosed cash transfers (among other things)...

The transfers include $29M paid to Donald Trump for taxes & $5.5M payment for the E. Jean Carroll sexual assault judgment.
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"We have discussed with [the Trump defendants] why these transactions were not previously disclosed and I have now clarified (and Defendants have agreed) that *all* transfers of assets out of the Trust exceeding $5 million must be reported," ex-U.S. District Judge Jones writes.
Nov 22, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
NEW: Death threats & antisemitic rants "inundated" Justice Engoron & his law clerk after Donald Trump attacked them on social media, says top NY court security official, citing 275 transcribed pages.

The threats are "serious and credible and not hypothetical or speculative." Image "You should be assassinated," one threat reads.

A NY court security official links Donald Trump's statements to the threats.

"When Mr. Trump violated the gag orders, the number of threatening, harassing and disparaging messages increased," Capt. Hollon said. Image
Nov 16, 2023 5 tweets 1 min read
NEW: Trump files emergency suit vs. Justice Engoron with appellate court seeking to overturn his gag orders.

"Supreme Court's gag orders entered during the non-jury trial in the underlying proceeding are unconstitutional, and sanctions imposed" violate law. Image Now: A select few from the press learned about oral arguments happening in the gilded appellate courthouse uptown right now.

We've been led to a small conference room with red carpets and oversize portraits of former judges. The judge enters. We begin.
Nov 13, 2023 10 tweets 3 min read
DAY 27: Don Jr. is on the stand opening Trump's defense

"Let him go ahead and talk about how great the Trump Organization is," Justice Engoron says.

Don Jr. discusses “the genius of what my father was able to do”. Slides, history come from here:
trump.com/timeline We're walking through beautiful architectural photographs of the Trump properties, marching through the timeline of Trump developments.

“He’s an artist with real estate. He’s sees the things people don’t,” Don Jr. says of his father. trump.com/estates/bedfor…
Oct 27, 2023 13 tweets 3 min read
DAY 17: Arguments over Ivanka Trump's trial subpoena have begun.

Ivanka's @troutmanpepper atty says AG cannot force her to testify in the fraud trial against her family because she was dismissed from the case & left the Trump Org. in 2017 for the White House and never returned. Bennet Moskowitz cites case law that "a nonparty, nondomiciliary witness is clearly not subject to the subpoena power of the court" of New York.

Basically: Ivanka doesn't live here. She doesn't work here. You can't make her testify.

But... the judge seems skeptical.
Oct 18, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
Breaking: A woman who approached the bench during Donald Trump‘s fraud trial today, apparently asking to speak with Trump, was arrested and placed in a New York State courts squad car just now. Image VIDEO: Arrested woman who approached the front of the courtroom amid proceedings today in Donald Trump’s fraud trial. Officers would not immediately confirm the charge.
Oct 6, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
MORE: Seeking to halt trial, Trump argues:

Justice Engoron “clearly does not comprehend the scope of the chaos its decision has wrought,” saying terminating his business licenses… makes it "impossible" to operate his businesses and threatens termination of 100s of employees.
Image My focus is on the @Law360 live blog of the Trump trial today. Follow here for those reports!
law360.com/content/ag-tru…
May 15, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
New: Rudy Giuliani hit with stomach-churning sexual abuse claims in $10M+ assault, civil rights, labor, contract suit by fmr assoc Noelle Dunphy.

She's got recordings of (pretty vile) statements and had 23,000 Rudy emails, she says, bc worked for him but he refused to pay her. Image *The case was filed in January but this 70-page complaint is new today, with far more detail.
May 11, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
Trump is utterly dominating this event. CNN barely challenging him.

In the wake of a federal jury finding him responsible for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll, audience is laughing and applauding his denials.

Stunning. Image Trump said if re-elected he would pardon January 6 defendants:
“I am inclined to pardon many of them…a couple of them maybe they got out of control…it will be a large portion of them…and it will be very early on”
May 10, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
Rep. George Santos' arraignment on fraud charges estimated from 1pm on, feds say.

Follow @rscharf_ who will be on the scene. Developing story: law360.com/articles/16062… @rscharf_ Arrest warrant for a Congressman. Image
May 9, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
Now: Jury instructed in E. Jean Carroll's rape & defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump. Judge Lewis Kaplan lays out claims that Trump "forcibly raped her," but emphasizes:

“This is a civil case for damages, it is not a criminal case,” judge says. To succeed on her battery claim, Carroll has to prove it was more likely than not that Trump's actions met the definition of:
-Rape (or)
-Sexual Abuse (or)
-Forcible Touching

If they find any of those three, Carroll prevails on a claim of battery. If so, jury decides damages.
Apr 26, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
Now: @FoxNews faces Smartmatic (the *other* voting machine company...you thought we were done?) in court on their $2.7B defamation suit in NY.

Smartmatic seeks to force Fox to turn over docs disclosed in the Dominion case, saying they only got 13% of that and its overdue. ImageImage Of course, @FoxNews opposes this and says their Anti-SLAPP motion freezes all discovery regardless of any discovery deadlines in the litigation. Image