NEW YORK — Lawyers for Donald Trump filed an appeal Monday evening seeking to dismiss or drastically reduce the $454 million judgment levied against him this year in a New York civil fraud case, the latest maneuver in the former president’s multiple legal battles.
The filing made a raft of arguments questioning the judgment handed down in February by Justice Arthur Engoron, who found that Trump had conspired to manipulate his net worth and lied about the value of his properties to receive more favorable terms on loans.
The suit was brought by Attorney General Letitia James of New York, a Democrat, who hailed her victory over Trump as having demonstrated that “there cannot be different rules for different people in this country.”
In their lengthy appeal to the 1st Department of the State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, however, Trump’s lawyers argued that many of the deals in question in James’ suit had occurred long ago and that the statute of limitations for violations it cited had run out.
They also questioned the size of the judgment awarded by Engoron, calling it disproportionate and suggesting that the judge had overcounted damages and miscalculated the profits from some of the properties named in James’ suit.
Taken as a whole, the appeal — peppered with talking points from Trump’s campaign and his public criticism of the case — seeks to show that the former president’s dealings were business as usual, and that no harm was caused.
“There were no victims and no losses,” the appeal reads, adding that Trump’s business partners had “raved internally about their business with him and were eager for more.”
If, it added, Trump’s actions constituted fraud, “then that word has no meaning,” and the attorney general’s “power to seize and destroy private businesses is boundless — and standardless.”
In a statement, James’ office said the defendants were raising arguments that had already been decided in the prosecution’s favor, and predicted a legal victory.
“We won this case based on the facts and the law, and we are confident we will prevail on appeal,” the statement said.
The attorney general’s legal response to the filing is expected next month, and the appeals court will hear oral arguments in the fall, even as the nation weighs whether to reelect Trump president. A decision could come before the end of the year.
The appeal is Trump’s latest attempt to avoid a potential nine-figure payout that could dent his political and personal image as a successful billionaire.
If Trump were forced to pay the entire judgment, it could wipe out his cash reserves, though he may soon also come into a multibillion-dollar windfall as a result of his stake in his social media company, Truth Social.
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