Former President Donald Trump filed a notice of appeal Monday in the matter of the New York civil judgment finding him liable for fraudulently inflating his net worth on years of financial statements.
The judgement curtailed his ability – and that of the Trump Organization – to do business in New York or apply for loans from financial institutions registered with the state.
Trump has now asked an intermediate-level state appellate court to overturn Justice Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 ruling in a civil fraud lawsuit brought in 2022 by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Reuters reports.
Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties, but with interest the total has grown to nearly $454 million.
That total will increase by nearly $112,000 per day until he pays, according to James’ office, CBS News notes.
James sought to essentially bankrupt Trump by calling for a $370 million fine and a lifetime disbarment from the real estate industry in New York State.
Trump’s announcement follows through with his trial comments when he declared during closing arguments, “This is a case that should have never been brought, and I think we should be entitled to damages, as Breitbart News reported.
Trump added he was being punished for “having built a perfect company, great cash, great buildings, great everything.”
Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley called the ruling “confiscatory, extreme, and abusive.”
The judgment is the second this year in which Trump was found guilty and required to part with millions.
More to come…