Trump’s Lawyers Have Filed Appeal of $500M Fraud Verdict

(ImpactHeadlines.com) – Lawyers representing former President Donald Trump are now pushing a New York appeals court to overturn a massive $500 million civil fraud judgment. Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron previously ruled that the former president had lied about his wealth to investment banks, insurance companies, and a series of other related entities.

According to Trump’s team, however, Engoron’s ruling – which came down on February 16, 2024 – was illegitimate. In a filing to the court, Trump’s lawyers describe the judgment as “erroneous” and “egregious” and make similar claims as the former president did throughout the trial. The attorneys describe how the case should never have been brought to the court, that New York Attorney General Letitia James was acting politically when she brought the suit against him, and that the statute of limitations means that many of the allegations couldn’t even be trialed.

The latest filing also argues that the ruling, should it be allowed to stand, would grant the New York AG “limitless power” to target politicians she considers to be opponents. The question now is whether or not different judges will see it the way Trump does, if they are politically motivated enough to rule against the former president, or if they simply agree with the decision of Judge Engoron. The hotly debated court trial glued millions of American eyeballs to the TV for weeks earlier this year, and could soon be doing the same thing if Trump’s lawyers get their way.

Trump’s ongoing legal fight is likely to continue throughout the fall, and well into election season.

In response to the filing, Judge Engoron smacked down suggestions that he should step aside from the case, after handing down a $500,000 fine in February. On Thursday, Engoron said that he would n be stepping aside and dismissed accusations by the Trump camp that he had discussed the case ahead of his judgment with a real estate attorney. Trump’s lawyers urged him to step away from the case over an alleged violation of judicial communications laws, but Engoron has since described the encounter as a “nothingburger.”