Judge holds real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield in contempt in NY probe of Trump Organization

Abstract

Cushman will have to pay a $10,000-a-day fine, starting Wednesday, until it complies with the subpoenas related to the firm's work for the Trump Organization. Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron in his order Tuesday night wrote that Chicago-based Cushman engaged in "Willful non-compliance with Court-ordered deadlines" for turning over the documents. The subpoenas issued to Cushman seek information about the firm's work for the Trump Organization over the years, which included perfoming appraisals and providing brokerage services for multiple properties. Engoron's contempt order noted that in April he ordered Cushman to comply with the subpoenas within one month. Two days after that deadline passed, Cushman asked the judge to grant either a protective order or a time extension. On Tuesday, the judge sided with the attorney general's office, saying he was "Incredulous" as to why Cushman would wait until after its court-ordered deadline to ask for more time. Cushman "Has only itself to blame if it chose to treat the looming deadlines cavalierly," Engoron added.