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President Trump’s lawyers are also trying to a block a demand that he sit for a deposition in the case.

| Alex Brandon/AP Photo Another lawsuit seeks Trump's tax returns

President Donald Trump is facing a new legal demand for his tax returns in a lawsuit from protesters who say they were roughed up at Trump’s instigation at a campaign rally last year.

Lawyers for the demonstrators recently made a formal request for the tax returns as part of the discovery process in a suit over altercations at a Trump campaign event in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2016.

“We want to know where his money is going and where it’s coming from,” said Greg Belzley, an attorney for the protesters. “What are his connections with the hate groups that regularly attended his rallies? What security did he have? Did they make any arrangements? Does he have the money to pay a jury verdict in this case?”

While Trump seems likely to be able to cover any direct damages the protesters are claiming, they are also seeking punitive damages, Belzley noted. The suit contends that Trump egged on the crowd to injure the demonstrators by declaring, “Get ‘em out of here.” The attorney said punitive damages tied to Trump’s income and worth may be appropriate to make sure Trump doesn’t do anything similar in the future.

“What is it going to take to get [Trump’s] attention?” Belzley asked. “The jury should be given the opportunity to decide what they need to do to deter the wrongful conduct and prevent it from happening again.”

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An attorney for Trump did not respond to a request for comment Friday, but in a court filing last week, Trump’s legal team complained that the suit is being used to dredge up "embarrassing" information on the president.

“From the moment Plaintiffs filed their Complaint, it has been clear that their primary objective has been to use the court system and the discovery process to inflict maximum political damage on President Trump,” Trump’s attorneys wrote. They dismissed as “clearly irrelevant” the request for the tax returns and another request for the identities “of all medical providers from whom Trump has sought or received any psychological and/or psychiatric and/or mental health treatment or counseling.”

Trump’s lawyers are also trying to a block a demand that he sit for a deposition in the case. That request is pending before U.S. District Court Judge David Hale, an appointee of President Barack Obama.

The Kentucky case is one of at least five pending lawsuits in which plaintiffs have publicly indicated a desire to obtain Trump’s tax filings.

They include several suits contending that Trump’s foreign business ties violate the Constitution’s foreign emoluments clause. Lawyers for the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, for the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia and for Democratic lawmakers have all stated plans to request the tax returns as litigation on those issues moves forward.

Even if a judge orders Trump's tax returns turned over in one or more of those cases, there is no guarantee they'd be made public. Such information is usually subject to a court order that limits its distribution to the lawyers and parties to the suit, as well as others directly involved in the litigation.

At least one group — the Electronic Privacy Information Center — is trying to obtain the tax returns directly from the Internal Revenue Service through a Freedom of Information Act suit.

The Kentucky suit appears to be the first to progress to the point where lawyers have made a formal discovery request for the Trump tax returns.

Every president since Jimmy Carter has released at least some personal tax returns. Trump has declined to do so, saying that his recent returns are under audit — although that is no legal barrier to releasing them under those circumstances,.

At the moment, there is no law requiring presidents to make their tax returns public, although Democrats in Congress and in state legislatures have filed legislation that would force such a disclosure for presidents or presidential candidates.