Former President Donald Trump’s legal team is set to argue before an appeal court on Friday that a lower court judge is time-barred from dismantling his multi-billion dollar property empire, despite a ruling that his businesses be stripped of their corporate certificates. The New York Court of Appeals had recently removed Ivanka Trump from the case, citing the statute of limitations, but the fate of Donald Trump and his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., hangs in the balance.

Judge Arthur Engoron, presiding over Trump’s civil fraud trial, had ordered Trump’s New York companies to be stripped of their corporate certificates and placed under an independent monitor until receivers could be appointed. However, an appeal court has partially stayed the order, pending a comprehensive review of the case. Trump vehemently denies all accusations of wrongdoing in this fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Real estate attorney Paul Golden, an expert on constructive trusts, noted the uncertainty surrounding the case. “It is extremely difficult to read the tea leaves of a partial and temporary stay of enforcement and decipher the ultimate outcome,” Golden stated. “The fact that a situation is ‘rare,’ in and of itself, does not help us to determine what the ultimate outcome would be.”

The appeal court, expected to make a decision anytime after Tuesday, will determine whether to continue freezing Engoron’s decision to strip Trump’s businesses of their corporate certificates. The court may revoke, expand, or modify the stay after November 13, 2023, according to Golden.

Trump’s legal team plans to submit arguments similar to those used by Ivanka Trump, who was removed from the case earlier, in an attempt to challenge the New York attorney general’s claim that the case falls within the six-year statute of limitations. The civil case, brought by James, accuses Trump of inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to secure benefits such as favorable bank loans and reduced tax bills.

Engoron had previously ruled that Trump and his adult sons committed fraud in property evaluations. The court will also decide on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims. Engoron will be the final arbiter on these charges, as Trump’s legal team opted against a jury trial. The outcome of this legal battle remains uncertain, leaving Trump’s business empire in a precarious position as the courtroom struggle continues.