Donald Trump may be fined $14,000 a day for contempt of court

Donald Trump is in hot water again over failing to produce documents as part of an investigation into his company's financial affairs.

New York State Attorney-General Letitia James has launched a fresh attack on the former US president by asking a court to hold him in contempt over the documents.

She wishes to fine him US$10,000 ($14,600) per day until he does so.

On February 17, Judge Arthur F. Engoron ruled that Mr Trump "comply in full" with the New York Attorney-General office's subpoena which sought documents and information about the Trump Organisation's financial affairs.

In the same decision, the New York State judge ordered that Mr Trump's children, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump, give evidence in relation to the subpoena.

The office of the New York State Attorney-General wrote in court documents filed on Thursday that Mr Trump "did not comply at all" with the subpoena — even though the deadline for him to do so was March 31.

She also wrote that Mr Trump "should now be held in civil contempt" and fined US$10,000 daily "to coerce his compliance" and compensate the office for their costs.

A lawyer for Mr Trump, Alina Habba, said in a statement on Thursday that Trump was "prepared to adamantly oppose the frivolous and baseless motion filed by the Attorney-General's office today".

Back in February, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to comply with the Attorney-General office's subpoena and that his children, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump (pictured), give evidence about it. Photo / AP

"Our client has consistently complied with the many discovery requests served by the Attorney-General's office over the years."

The New York State Attorney-General's office has been investigating the Trump Organisation's business practices since 2019.

In documents filed on January 16, Ms James alleged the Trump Organisation had falsely and fraudulently misrepresented the value of a number of its properties.

She alleged those statements had bolstered the company's bottom line and permitted it to evade taxes and obtain better insurance and loans.

Trump's lawyer says that the Attorney-General's court document filed on Thursday was 'frivolous and baseless.' Photo / AP

For instance, the New York Times reports that the Trump Organisation sought to refinance a mortgage on his tower located at 40 Wall St, Lower Manhattan. In the company's financial statement, it said that the property was worth US$735 million. However, a financial broker said that the property was only worth US$257m.