Judge orders Trump sit for 7-hour deposition in early January
Story highlights
- The deposition will take place in New York City
- Celebrity chef Jose Andres suggested to Trump in a tweet that the two end their legal battle over restaurant
(CNN)Before
President-elect Donald Trump heads to the White House on January 20, he
will find himself back in the witness chair for questioning in his
ongoing contractual dispute with celebrity chef, Jose Andres.
DC
Superior Court Judge Jennifer A. Di Toro ruled Wednesday that Trump
must sit for a deposition in New York City the first week of January,
and it may last up to seven hours.
Trump
sued Andres for breach of contract after Andres backed out of a plan
for a restaurant in Trump's new luxury hotel in Washington. Andres
claimed he canceled plans for the project after Trump made disparaging
remarks about Mexicans during the presidential campaign.
Trump's
attorneys previously agreed to his deposition in New York City, but
sought to limit the length and scope of questioning, arguing in court
filings that "Mr. Trump is not just any apex deponent; he is the
President-elect ... It is not an overstatement that he is extremely busy
handling matters of very significant public importance."
But
Di Toro was not moved, ruling Wednesday that limiting Trump's
examination would be too prejudicial to the defense team's right to
prepare the case for trial, and "Mr. Trump's own statements are at the
heart" of the parties' claims.
Trump's transition team did not respond to CNN's request for comment. His attorney at Seyfarth Shaw LLP had no comment.
On Tuesday, Andres suggested the parties bring their lawsuit to an end
and instead donate money to a veterans organization, tweeting: "Mr.
@realDonaldTrump can we end our lawsuits and we donate $ to a Veterans
NGO to celebrate? Why keep litigating? Let's both of us win."
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