(New York) Fresh from more legal victories, Donald Trump urged a New York appeals court Monday to overturn a nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment that threatens to drain his personal cash reserves as he campaigns to retake power in the White House.
In papers filed with the state’s intermediate appeals court, the former president’s lawyers said Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 conclusion that Trump lied to banks, insurers and others about his wealth was “erroneous” and “serious.”
Trump’s appeal arguments echoed many of his complaints about the case, made during the trial to television cameras outside the courtroom.
His lawyers argued that New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit should have been dismissed quickly, that the statute of limitations barred certain claims and that no one was harmed by Trump’s alleged fraud.
In a 116-page filing, Trump’s lawyers also complained that Judge Engoron’s decision, if upheld, would give Mr.me James, a Democrat, “unlimited power to target anyone he pleases, including his self-proclaimed political opponents.”
Mr. Trump posted a $175 million bond in April to halt collection of the judgment and prevent Mr. Trump’s office fromme James to seize his assets while he appeals. If he wins, he will not have to pay anything to the state and will get back the money he invested.
M’s officeme James said Mr Trump and his lawyers were raising unfounded arguments.
“We won this case on the facts and the law, and we are confident that we will prevail on appeal,” Mr.me James in a statement.
Decisions that pile up
The appeal filed Monday is the latest development in a defining legal and political period for Mr. Trump, who last week accepted the Republican presidential nomination just days after he was injured in a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
1er In July, the Supreme Court sided with Trump, ruling that former presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for official acts performed while in office, further delaying his election interference case in Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, his sentencing in his criminal secret payment case in New York will be postponed until September 18. In the meantime, his lawyers are fighting to have that conviction overturned.
On July 15, a federal judge in Florida dismissed the Trump classified documents case, ruling that special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the case, had been unlawfully appointed by the Justice Department. Mr. Smith is appealing.
In the civil fraud case, Judge Engoron found that Trump, his company and its top executives — including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. — conspired for years to inflate his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and close deals.
In addition to the hefty monetary penalty, the judge imposed strict limits on Trump’s company’s ability to do business. Among other consequences, Judge Engoron placed the Trump Organization under the supervision of a court-appointed monitor for at least three years.
Trump’s lawyers have gone to the appellate division at least 10 times to challenge Mr. Engoron’s previous rulings, including during the trial in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn a gag order and $15,000 fine for violations after Trump posted a derogatory and false social media post about a court staffer.
Trump’s appeal ensures that the legal battle over Trump’s business practices will persist through the fall and beyond.
The Court of Appeal announced that it would hear arguments in late September.