New York appeals court halts the process of breaking up Trump's businesses but rejects halting the trial

A New York appeals court judge on Friday rejected Donald Trump's attempt to stop the ongoing $250 million civil fraud trial, but temporarily halted the process of breaking up his businesses.

Associate Justice Peter Moulton issued the ruling after a brief hearing Friday afternoon.

Trump asked the appeals court to put the civil fraud trial on hold pending the appeal of Judge Arthur Engoron's surprise summary judgment order last week that said the former president is liable for fraud. Trump also asked to put the underlying ruling itself on hold, saying it will cause "severe and irreparable harm not only to Appellants but to innocent nonparties and employees who depend on the affected entities for their livelihoods."

New York Supreme Court Judge Engoron last week ruled that Trump and his co-defendants committed "persistent and repeated fraud," and must cancel business certificates for many Trump entities,

The "Supreme Court clearly does not comprehend the scope of the chaos its decision has wrought," Trump's lawyers wrote.

"Terminating non-party business licenses without jurisdiction, without process, without statutory authority, without trial, and without reason renders impossible the lawful operation of multiple businesses and threatens termination of hundreds of New York employees without any jurisdiction or due process," the filing states.

"We're not seeking delay. We're not seeking anything but a fair trial and these errors permeate the ongoing trial," Trump attorney Christopher Kise said in court Friday, referring to "an avalanche of errors" in the summary judgment ruling.