U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel denied President-elect Donald Trump’s bid to exclude both media coverage around Trump University and controversies that surfaced during his bid for the White House.
The preliminary ruling came down on Thursday citing a “lack of specificity” in the defense team’s request to exclude such evidence. The trial is set to begin on Nov. 28.
Trump’s attorney also requested a trial delay citing the president-elect’s “monumental” obligations, according to New York Daily News reporter Nancy Dillon, who was seated in the San Diego courtroom.
At #TrumpUniversity hearing in SD. @realDonaldTrump's atty Petrocelli asking 4 trial delay. "His obligations right now are just monumental."
— Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) November 10, 2016
“The court is prepared to deny defendants’ request to exclude all other media coverage of TU [Trump University] for lack of specificity,” read Curiel’s tentative ruling.
The ruling went on: “Defendants have not identified specific evidence that they wish to exclude. Accordingly, the Court declines to issue a blanket ruling at this time.” The judge issued the ruling without prejudice, meaning the defense can submit another request, presumably with more detail.
Trump was heavily criticized, including by some leading Republican figures, for previously suggesting that Judge Curiel could be biased against him because the San Diego jurist had Mexican immigrant parents.
Curiel was born in Indiana and is an American citizen.
Trump is being sued by former students who claim that the education provided at his self-titled university was worthless.
The president-elect has defended himself against claims made in the suit, saying in part: “Throughout the litigation my attorneys have continually demonstrated that students who participated in Trump University were provided a substantive, valuable education based upon a curriculum developed by professors from Northwestern University, Columbia Business School, Stanford University and other respected institutions … Over a five year period, more than 10,000 paying students filled out surveys giving the courses high marks and expressing their overwhelming satisfaction with Trump University’s programs.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.