{"id":148918,"date":"2025-08-21T12:34:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T17:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldtribune.com\/?p=148918"},"modified":"2025-08-21T12:34:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T17:34:50","slug":"appeals-court-throws-out-515-million-judgement-against-trump-in-ny-fraud-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldtribune.com\/2025\/appeals-court-throws-out-515-million-judgement-against-trump-in-ny-fraud-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeals court throws out $515 million judgement against Trump in NY fraud case"},"content":{"rendered":"

by<\/em><\/span> WorldTribune<\/strong> Staff \/ <\/em><\/span><\/span>247 Real News<\/strong><\/span><\/a> August 21, 2025 <\/em> <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The $515 million fraud judgment against President Donald Trump is unconstitutional and violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibitions on excessive fines, a five-judge panel of a New York appellate court ruled on Thursday.<\/p>\n

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Donald Trump claimed ‘total victory’ over New York Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Art Engoron.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Judge Art Engoron originally imposed a $355 million penalty as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James’s civil fraud lawfare pursuit of Trump. Other interest assessments led the figure to balloon to more than half a billion dollars by August.<\/p>\n

In Thursday’s ruling, Judge David Friedman slammed James for bringing the lawsuit against Trump:<\/p>\n

\u201cPlainly, her ultimate goal was not \u2018market hygiene\u2019 … but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump\u2019s political career and the destruction of his real estate business,\u201d Friedman wrote. \u201cThe voters have obviously rendered a verdict on his political career. This bench today unanimously derails the effort to destroy his business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump, in a social media post, claimed \u201ctotal victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was hurting Business all throughout New York State,\u201d he wrote on Truth Social.<\/p>\n

James accused Trump of manipulating the value of his assets to secure favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums.<\/p>\n

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, though Engoron ruled for James in the bench trial.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the injunctive relief ordered by the court is well crafted to curb defendants\u2019 business culture, the court\u2019s disgorgement order, which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the State of New York, is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution,\u201d Judges Dianne T. Renwick and Peter H. Moulton wrote in one of three opinions shaping the appeals court\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n

The court, which split on the merits of the lawsuit and Engoron\u2019s fraud finding, dismissed the penalty in its entirety while also leaving a pathway for an appeal to the state\u2019s highest court, the Court of Appeals. Trump and his co-defendants, the judges wrote, can seek to extend the pause on any punishments taking effect.<\/p>\n