A New York appeals court on Thursday threw out President Donald Trump’s civil fraud penalty in a major win for Trump and his family, even as the ruling anticipates further appeals.
State Judge Arthur Engoron last year found Trump and his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump and their business liable for business fraud and falsifying records. Trump was ordered to pay $355 million in penalties, a figure that has ballooned with interest to $527 million.
But a divided five-judge panel concluded that the punishment was “excessive.”
Judge Peter H. Moulton wrote in one of the opinions that shaped the court’s ruling, “While the injunctive relief ordered by the court is well crafted to curb defendants’ business culture, the court’s 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.”
Trump has repeatedly lambasted the judgment against him, saying he is “an innocent man” and that any fraud was committed against him.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of Trump’s most vocal political foes, began investigating the case in 2020 and announced the lawsuit against Trump at a press conference in 2022. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But it’s not over for Trump yet. The case can be appealed to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
