New York Attorney General Letitia James has vowed to fight Donald Trump's appeal in his New York fraud trial.
In September 2022, James sued Trump; his two adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump; the Trump Organization; and two firm executives, Allen Weisselberg and Jeff McConney, over allegations that Trump had inflated his assets to get more favorable business loans. On February 16, Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the trial, ruled that Trump would have to pay about $355 million in penalties, with interest bringing the figure to $454 million.
On Monday, Trump's lawyers filed documents alleging that the ruling "violates centuries of New York case law" and is needlessly "draconian." They also said there were "no victims and no losses" as a result of Trump's actions and that James' case was time-barred.
A spokesperson for James' office said in a statement that there is nothing new in Trump's appeal arguments. "Once again, the defendants are raising arguments that they were already sanctioned and fined for. We won this case based on the facts and the law, and we are confident we will prevail on appeal," the spokesperson said.
The appeal document said that, far from being victims, Trump's bankers "raved internally about their business with him and were eager for more."
It added that if Trump's actions were fraud, "then that word has no meaning," and the attorney general's "power to seize and destroy private businesses" would therefore be "boundless—and standardless."
Engoron's ruling also barred Trump, Weisselberg and McConney from serving as officers or directors of any New York corporation or other legal entity in the state for three years. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were each ordered to pay more than $4 million and were barred from doing business in the state for two years.
Trump, the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election, has maintained his innocence, saying the case was politically motivated.
Newsweek contacted Trump's attorney for comment via email.
After Engoron's ruling, Chris Kise, Trump's lawyer, told Newsweek that he would launch an appeal based on James' fraud definition.
"The case raises serious legal and constitutional questions regarding 'fraud' claims/findings without any actual fraud," Kise said in February.
When asked about the timing of the appeal, Kise said it would "depend on many factors so it's hard to say at the moment," but that it would be within the legal time limit.
Kise accused James and Engoron of trying to run Trump out of New York, which he added was bad for the city.
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About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more