Former President Donald Trump on Monday appealed a civil judgment ordering him to pay $454 million in fines and interest after a judge found him liable for lying for years about his net worth to get better terms from insurers and lenders.
Attorneys representing Trump, his adult sons, his businesses and his companies filed a notice of appeal on Monday, asking a court to overturn the ruling issued earlier this month by Judge Arthur Engoron.
On Feb. 16, Engoron ordered Trump to pay $354.9 million in penalties and barred him and former Trump Organization officials from serving as officers or directors of any corporation or legal entity in New York for three years. Trump’s adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, were prohibited from serving in similar positions for two years.
The former president was also ordered to pay nearly $100 million in interest, The Associated Press reported.
In a social media post following the judgment, Trump called the decision a “Complete and Total SHAM,” saying that there were “No Victims, No Damages, No Complaints” associated with the case.
New York Attorney General Leticia James said authorities were holding Trump accountable, calling Engoron’s judgment “a massive victory for every American who believes in that simple, but fundamental pillar of our democracy: That the rule of law applies to all of us equally, fairly and justly.”
James filed suit against Trump, his adult sons and the Trump Organization in 2022, accusing them of lying about the value of their properties for years. She said that Trump inflated his net worth by as much as $3.6 billion in financial statements given to banks, Reuters reported.
Trump has accused James, a Democrat, of pursuing the case for political reasons as he runs for president in 2024.
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