A law firm that recently cut ties with
“The court finds that many of the communications Morgan Lewis marked as privileged were communications addressing business tasks and decisions, not exchanges soliciting or rendering legal advice,” Engoron said in the ruling. “Similarly, any communications within Morgan Lewis speaking to public relations are of a business, not legal, nature.”
The ruling is the latest setback for the
Exodus From Trump
The lawyer representing Morgan Lewis in New York’s legal action,
Morgan Lewis and another firm,
A focus of the New York probe is the appraisal of Seven Springs, a property on 212 acres in Westchester County, outside New York City. James is examining whether Trump’s company gave an accurate valuation for the property when it served as the basis for about $21.1 million in tax deductions for donating a conservation easement for the 2015 tax year. Dillon was “primarily responsible” for handling the easement, according to James.
Morgan Lewis wrongfully applied privilege over thousands of messages, including between Dillon and Trump’s son Eric, while refusing to answer numerous questions “where no privilege could plausibly attach,” according to the state’s initial court filing. Eric Trump, an executive vice president at the Trump Organization and president of Seven Springs LLC, was deposed under oath after losing an effort to delay being questioned.
Dillon also played a role in the appraisal of a Trump golf property in Los Angeles for another conservation easement, New York said. The Trump Organization described Dillon as a “quarterback” in the process, according to the state.
“Morgan Lewis has refused to produce substantive communications about any topic between Sheri Dillon and key employees of the Trump Organization, including Eric Trump,” New York said in its August petition. “All told, Morgan Lewis is withholding or has redacted more than 3,000 documents.”
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N.Y. Prosecutors Seek Records on Trump’s Seven Springs Estate Letitia James Talks Investigating Trump, Suing Big Tech and NRA
(Adds New York’s description of Dillon’s role in second section.)
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Peter Jeffrey, Steve Stroth
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