Trump’s deposition may clash with trial start

Donald Trump is scheduled to be deposed on April 15 in one of the civil lawsuits stemming from the merger of his socialmedia startup with a so-called blank check company, the same day the former president is set to appear in court for the start of his first criminal trial.

The deposition involves a February lawsuit by Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss, cofounders of Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., who sued Trump for allegedly trying to dilute their shares in the company. Notice of the deposition was filed April 3 in Delaware state court, where the suit is pending.

The planned deposition could conflict with the opening of Trump’s first criminal trial, over hush money payments to a porn star, which starts with jury selection on April 15 in Manhattan. The overlap of events is the latest indication that Trump’s array of legal troubles is leading to scheduling conflicts as he campaigns to return to the White House.

It’s unclear how Trump will juggle the calendar dispute. Trump is required to attend the criminal trial, though New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan could allow him to miss part of the proceeding to attend a deposition. If the judge balks, Trump could be forced to skip the deposition.

Trump Media fell for a third straight day on Friday, closing the day down 12.05 percent at $40.59, a stunning drop from its highest close of $66.22 on March 27.

The civil suit, filed in February in Delaware, alleges Trump tried to dilute Litinsky’s and Moss’s 8.6 percent stake in the business through its now-completed merger. The men — excontestants on Trump’s TV show “The Apprentice” who joined forces with him to form Trump Media — allege the former president wanted to increase the amount of shares before the merger to water down their stake and potentially generate billions to pay off legal judgments.