OAN’s Brooke Mallory
11:16 AM – Monday, February 26, 2024
Former President Donald Trump filed an appeal on Monday against a judge’s ruling requiring him to pay over $450 million in the vast civil fraud lawsuit brought by the New York attorney general against his commercial empire.
Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling earlier this month dealt the former president a severe legal and financial blow by prohibiting him from holding a senior position in any New York company for three years and by directing impartial observers to keep an eye on Trump’s businesses.
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The ruling came after a trial that lasted several months, during which the judge decided that Trump and senior officials had allegedly colluded for years to manipulate their net worth in order to obtain insurance and tax benefits.
Trump’s appeal was anticipated since he and his attorneys had spent days denouncing the judge’s decision as politically motivated and a “manifest injustice.” Trump has refuted any misconduct.
“We trust that the Appellate Division will overturn this egregious fine and take the necessary steps to restore the public faith in New York’s legal system,” Trump attorney Alina Habba said in a statement.
After formally filing his notice of appeal, Trump will take his case to the First Judicial Department Appellate Division in an attempt to get the remaining penalties, including the nine-figure fine, dropped.
The attorney general’s office in New York declined to comment.
The appeal follows a request from Trump’s legal team to “protect” the former president’s appellate rights by delaying the $454 million sum’s enforcement by 30 days. However, last week, Judge Engoron refused to do so.
“You have failed to explain, much less justify, any basis for a stay,” Engoron responded to the request. “I am confident that the Appellate Division will protect your appellate rights.”
If the astronomical charge is sustained, Trump will also have to pay extra interest. Since Engoron filed judgment, the clock has been ticking upward by tens of thousands of dollars every day.
New York Attorney Letitia James has been attempting to mock the former president by sharing the updated amount every day on X (Twitter).
Although the Engoron verdict will not force Trump to leave his company, it could cause a major organizational upheaval and result in the family business operating without a head for the first time.
In addition to the sanctions against him, Trump’s two adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., have been barred from holding executive positions in New York companies for a period of two years.
The judge also fined Trump’s sons and senior business officials and increased the jurisdiction of an impartial monitor to oversee the Trump Organization’s finances.
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