As the questioning of witnesses continued this morning at former President Donald Trump trial in New York where he is accused of "numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation" to inflate Trump's net worth while lowering his tax burden, Judge Arthur Engoron issued an order outlining the next steps to dissolve Trump's companies.
Last week, Engoron found that Trump and his adult sons used fraudulent documents to conduct business and ordered the cancellation of his business certificates. Trump appealed that ruling yesterday.
In today's order, Engoron asks the defendants to provide a list of "entities controlled or beneficially owned by Donald J. Trump" and the other co-defendants to the Hon. Barbara S. Jones, the independent monitor overseeing Trump's business activities. Trump is also required to notify Jones of any news business applications or changes to preexisting entities.
During a court conference last week, Trump's attorney Chris Kise asked Engoron for clarity about which specific entities would be impacted by the cancellation of business certificates. While Engoron declined to address the matter further during the conference, this order appears to be a step towards gaining that clarity.
Though the order also gives the parties 30 days to recommend a receiver to oversee the dissolution of Trump's corporate assets, both parties previously suggested that they plan to recommend Jones.