Former President Donald Trump is facing a busy day on April 15, as he is scheduled for a deposition in a lawsuit filed by two co-founders of Trump Media & Technology Group, the company that owns the Truth Social app. The deposition is set for 10 a.m., the same day his criminal trial for alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels begins in New York. New York Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled jury selection for the hush money case to start on the same day. It is still unclear where Trump will be deposed, and there is a possibility that the deposition could be rescheduled to allow him to attend the first day of his trial in New York.
Litinsky and Moss, former contestants on “The Apprentice,” sued Trump Media & Technology Group, alleging that Trump tried to drastically dilute their shares in the company before it went public in March. They claim that they had agreed with Trump that he would own 90% of the company, leaving them with about 10%. However, they ended up with only about 8.6% of the company. Trump Media & Technology Group has filed a counter lawsuit against Litinsky and Moss, accusing them of making reckless decisions that caused damage to the company. The counter suit also claims that Litinsky and Moss attempted to sabotage the deal between Trump Media and Digital World Acquisition Corp after their own plans to take the company public fell through.
In the past, Trump has faced depositions in several other civil cases brought against him. In 2022, he sat for a deposition in the lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, where he doubled down on comments he made on the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape. Trump was eventually found liable for sexually abusing Carroll and ordered to pay $5 million in damages. He was also deposed for the civil case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, where he answered questions about his businesses for over eight hours. Trump was later found liable for fraudulently inflating the value of his assets and ordered to pay $557 million.
It is unclear how Trump’s deposition in the lawsuit brought by Litinsky and Moss will impact his criminal trial for alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Trump’s legal team had previously tried to postpone the start of his criminal trial, but New York Judge Juan Merchan ruled that it was a delay tactic. Merchan insisted that Trump had numerous opportunities to bring up his objections before the impending trial. The deposition is scheduled for the same day as the jury selection for the hush money case, raising questions about how Trump will manage to attend both events.
As Trump prepares for his deposition and criminal trial, the legal battles surrounding his businesses and personal conduct continue. The lawsuit filed by Litinsky and Moss adds another layer of complexity to the legal challenges faced by the former president. Trump’s history of facing depositions in civil cases suggests that he is no stranger to legal proceedings, but the simultaneous scheduling of the deposition and criminal trial on April 15 presents a unique challenge for him. It remains to be seen how Trump will navigate the legal proceedings on that day and what impact they will have on his future legal battles.
