NY Attorney General Asks to Reinstate $500 Million Civil Fraud Fine Imposed on Trump
New York Attorney General Letitia James appeals reversal of $500 million civil fraud fine imposed on Trump
New York Attorney General Letitia James asked the state's high court on Thursday to reinstate the $500 million civil fraud fine imposed on President Donald Trump, appealing a key ruling in the case against the president, several of his relatives, and the Trump Organization that reduced the massive fine to zero.
James' office is seeking to have the New York State Court of Appeals overturn last month's decision by the mid-level Appellate Division, which found that the $464 million judgment—which increased to more than $500 million with interest—was an “excessive” fine prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.
The one-page appellate brief was filed a week after Trump filed his own challenge to the mid-level court's ruling, which upheld a finding that the 79-year-old real estate mogul-turned-president committed fraud by exaggerating his net worth in financial records submitted to banks and insurers.
The Appellate Division, in its ruling vacating Trump's fine, upheld Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron's finding that Trump and the others involved committed enterprise fraud.
The panel of The appeals court also kept in place other restrictions on Trump’s business, including a ban on Trump and his two oldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, running a company in New York for several years. Engoron ruled that Trump and other defendants exaggerated the purported value of real estate assets owned by the Trump Organization to inflate Trump’s net worth. In turn, those false valuations helped Trump’s company get better terms on loans and other financial benefits, the judge ruled. Engoron cited those findings in imposing the hefty fine on Trump and the other defendants.
The notice of appeal filed Thursday is brief and doesn't detail James's arguments for overturning the decision. Those arguments will be outlined in future filings.

