Responding to lingering questions about the lack of a jury at the ongoing civil trial, Judge Engoron stated on the record that Trump would not have been entitled to a jury trial.

"We are having a non-jury trial because we are hearing a non-jury case," Engoron said, dispelling claims that the trial lacks a jury because Trump's lawyers simply forgot to check off a box or file a motion.

"It would have not helped to make a motion. Nobody forgot to check off a box," Engoron said.

During her opening statement, Trump's lawyer Alina Habba said the former president would have preferred a jury trial, and Trump himself has made multiple posts on his Truth Social platform about the alleged injustice stemming from the lack of a jury.

"The AG checked off non-jury, and there was no motion for a jury," Engoron said about the process in Trump's case -- but he added that if a motion for a jury trial had been filed, he would have rejected it because the attorney general asked for "equitable" relief, which does not entitle participants to a jury trial.

"I would like to say thank you, your honor," Habba said about the clarification.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is absent from the courtroom this morning.

James attended the first six days of the trial, which started last Monday.

Former President Trump and Trump Organization VP Eric Trump both attended the first three days of the trial.

While the Trump Organization's relationship with Deutsche Bank goes back 30 years, the attorney general alleges in her complaint that in 2011, Trump began doing business with the private wealth managers at the bank, rather than bankers who specialized in commercial real estate.

"In essence, rather than obtain credit facilities through the wing of Deutsche Bank with an expertise in commercial real estate, Mr. Trump began to seek funds from a wing of Deutsche Bank focused on servicing ultrawealthy clients," the attorney general's complaint said. "Hence, Mr. Trump's personal guaranty, and his representations regarding his finances that backed up that guaranty, featured prominently in Mr. Trump's loan transactions through the [private wealth management] wing of Deutsche Bank."

During the attorney general's investigation, Deutsche Bank credit risk executive Nicholas Haigh told investigators that he "may not have authorized" Trump's loans if he was aware of the inflated values in Trump's financial statements, according to a letter the state submitted to the court.

Donald Trump's civil fraud trial is set to resume this morning with the testimony of Nicholas Haigh, a credit risk executive who worked at Deutsche Bank when it issued loans to the former president.

Deutsche Bank was the largest single lender to the Trump Organization between 2011 and 2022, according to the New York attorney general.

Owing approximately $340 million to the bank at one point, the Trump Organization used Deutsche Bank to secure favorable loans related to its purchase of the Old Post Office Hotel in Washington, D.C., the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, Illinois, and Trump National Doral golf club in Florida, according to the AG's complaint.

Former President Donald Trump must pay $354 million for fraudulent business practices, Judge Arthur Engoron has ruled.

Trump's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have been fined $4 million apiece, and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg has been fined $1 million.

The decision bars Trump barred from serving as an officer of a New York company for three years, and bars his sons for two years apiece.

Regarding the dissolution of Trump's companies, the decision says, "This Court hereby modifies its September 26, 2023, Decision and Order solely to the extent of removing the language ordering the LLCs cancellation en masse. The restructuring and potential dissolution of any LLCs shall be subject to individual review by the Court appointed Independent Director of Compliance in consultation with Judge Jones."

In his decision, Engoron wrote that "Defendants' refusal to admit error -- indeed, to continue it, according to the Independent Monitor -- constrains this Court to conclude that they will engage in it going forward unless judicially restrained."

"Overall, Donald Trump rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial," the judge wrote. "His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility."

"The accountants created these 'compilations' based on data submitted by the Trump entities," the decision said. "In order to borrow more and at lower rates, defendants submitted blatantly false financial data to the accountants, resulting in fraudulent financial statements. When confronted at trial with the statements, defendants' fact and expert witnesses simply denied reality, and defendants failed to accept responsibility or to impose internal controls to prevent future recurrences."

Of Donald Trump Jr., Engoron wrote, "Despite disclaiming responsibility for or knowledge of the Statements of Financial Conditions' contents, Trump, Jr. still insisted that the Statements of Financial Condition were 'materially accurate.'"

Engoron's decision follows an 11-week civil trial in New York, where Trump and three of his adult children testified.

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, his two adult sons, and Trump Organization executives in September 2022 for issuing fraudulent financial statements -- including over 200 false and misleading asset values between 2011 and 2021 -- to get better loan terms and business deals.