A New York court ruled that the civil suit against Trump University will go to trial. The suit, filed by the New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman, alleged that the university used fraud and false advertising to get students.
The $40 million suit against Donadl Trump's former school was filed in 2013. The Trump University described itself as a school for real estate investors. The filing described that Trump mislead thousands of students to the school over the promise of getting rich.
Trump's legal team has been pushing to get a jury trial on that case. Schneiderman, on the other hand, had asked the court for a ruling based on the evidence already presented, as reported by CNN Money. On Tuesday, a New York judge had finally ruled that the civil suit can go to trial despite the evidence already presented by the general attorney.
According to Schneiderman's office, the trial could take place as early as this fall. The timing would coincide with Trump's efforts to run for president if he is chosen as the GOP's presidential nominee. Regardless, the judge ruling that the suit could go forward to trial delighted the Trump camp.
"We are extremely pleased that the Supreme Court has yet again rejected the Attorney General's attempt to avoid a trial," said an attorney for Trump, Alan Garten. Previously, Trump's lawyers had asked the court to toss out the fraud case but the request was rejected.
In addition to false advertising and fraud, Schneiderman's filing also alleges that the university was unlicensed since 2005 when it began operating. Fox News reports that the filing said the school used "bait-and-switch" tactics, luring students to enroll in increasingly expensive seminars. The school also promised lessons with experts hand-picked by Trump, while only one of the lecturers had ever met him in person.
The civil suit demanded $40 million from the school, which closed in 2010 after changing its name to the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative. The filing seeks restitution and damages for more than 5,000 students across the country, who had paid up to $35,000 each for access to web seminars, as noted by NBC News.
A New York court has ruled that the fraud allegations against Trump University deserves a jury trial. The trial is likely to be held as soon as this fall, and Trump could testify in response to the allegations set forward by Schneiderman in 2013.
