Donald Trump, the former President, has been ordered by Judge Arthur Engoron to pay a fine of $354 million, which with interest amounts to over $450 million, for fraud in New York State. Trump must pay nearly half a billion dollars as a bond before he can appeal the ruling.
Critics argue that Trump is the only person to be sued under a New York fraud statute that does not require any harm to be done, and that effectively criminalizes the everyday practice of real estate valuations in negotiations with banks.
Attorney General Letitia James, who promised to target Trump, has filed the only such case in the state’s history, and the staggering fine is unprecedented. Before Trump can appeal, he must pay the full amount, including interest, in a court account, which is a challenge even for him.
The excessive fine and its basis raise serious statutory and constitutional questions, and many believe it should be substantially reduced or tossed out entirely. Judge Engoron refused to allow Trump to mount any defense, declaring him guilty via summary judgment for the state.
Former President Donald Trump received more bad legal news this week as a New York State judge ruled he must first fork over nearly $500 million in penalties before filing appeal against a civil fraud lawsuit targeting his family real estate empire.
Judge Arthur Engoron denied requests by Trump counsel to pause accruing asset seizures and penalties while they challenge findings around financial misconduct at the Trump Organization. Instead, Engoron demanded the ex-president prepay penalties imposed in the recent ruling before his appeals arguments would receive any consideration in court.
This requirement that massive fines get cleared without delay deals a painful financial blow to Trump’s besieged family business while also creating a considerable legal barrier to overturning the decision that sparked penalties in the first place.
Pay First, Appeal Later
In his initial October 2022 ruling on New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil lawsuit alleging Trump Organization financial fraud, Engoron approved imposing $250 million total penalties plus additional asset forfeitures.
The former president moved to appeal upon the judgement being handed down. However in his subsequent motion this week denying suspension of the penalties amid appeal, Engoron essentially compelled Trump to comply with financial sanctions before questioning their validity.
“The applicants do not identify any period of potential irrationality or injustice from simply having to pay now,” Engoron wrote, determining no credible grounds supported halting accruing fines while higher courts reconsidered facts of misconduct.
With the Trump family business facing liquidity challenges, amassing hundreds of millions in short order presents steep hurdles simply to clear the bar of appealing further as Engoron mandated.
Setback for Legal Challenges
For Trump’s legal team seeking to undo or diminish financial judgements imposed in the fraud lawsuit spearheaded by AG James, this week’s ruling represents a significant setback.
In addition to the direct monetary impacts which may shake the Trump Organization’s stability, the decision blocks appeal avenues that could provide Trump relief until his companies generate the required penalty funds upfront. This leaves fewer options to combat sanctions or liquidate assets on their own terms.
With these latest developments, observers note the former president remains squarely on his back foot battling legal threats on multiple fronts – including sensitive classified document investigations and the unprecedented January 6th hearings probing his potential criminal liability for undermining American democracy itself after losing 2020’s election.
Yet even as Trump stares down allegation after allegation in sphere after sphere, the dollars and cents implications of this week’s civil court order pose immediate financial impacts that could reshape his family businesses’ viability more than further reputational hits. For the ex-president’s legal woes, the money troubles now pile even higher.
