Trump Appeals $454 Million Civil Fraud Judgment

Former President Donald Trump filed notices of appeal on Monday, asking New York state’s mid-level appeals court to overturn the judgment in a controversial civil fraud case that totaled a stunning $454 million, including interest.

Earlier this month, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay more than $350 million, barred him from doing business in New York for three years, and fined his sons, Don Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, more than $4 million each.

The judge agreed with left-wing Attorney General Letitia James, who campaigned on a promise to “take on” Trump, that the former president made misleading financial statements to banks to secure better terms on loans. Though, notably, the defense stood by the evaluations and highlighted that all the loans were repaid and there were no victims of the supposed financial fraud.

The appeal from Trump’s lawyers suggests that Engoron “committed errors of law and/or fact” and abused his discretion or “acted in excess” of his jurisdiction, according to the Associated Press.

“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 lawyer Alina Habba said in a statement.

Trump has until March 25 to secure a stay, or a pause, to stop financial collection of the judgment, the AP notes. The former president would automatically receive a stay if he were to put up money or assets to cover the judgment.

Following the verdict, Habba took to Fox News to decry the trial and the judgment.

“I think the biggest message I can give the American people tonight is that he’s not going to get away with it,” she said of Engoron. “Letitia James is not going to get away with it; the Biden administration is not going to get away with it.”

“They will not get away with it,” the attorney continued. “President Trump has done nothing wrong. All he has done is win a campaign, and that is scaring them because they know when he goes back in November 2024 he is going to clean house, and that is truly the problem. It’s not about Mar-a-Lago’s worth.”

Habba also shared some harsh words for James, whom she said was in the courtroom “with her shoes off” and sipping Starbucks.

“Miss James had her shoes off in court,” the lawyer said. “She had a Starbucks coffee in her hand, she wasn’t doing work, she wasn’t sitting at the council table, she was in the back with her shoes off and a coffee.”

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“At the end of the day, we’re sitting there looking at this, going, ‘This is the state of our country.’ AGs are so comfortable in court that they know that they don’t even have to do the job, they don’t have to do the work, they’re going to let their people do it, they’re going to sit there and they’re going to win,” she continued.

“We will win in the appellate division,” Habba added. “I have zero concerns about that.”

Related: ‘They Will Not Get Away With It’: Trump Attorney Unloads After Stunning New York Fraud Verdict