On Monday, former President Trump’s lawyers urged an appeals court to toss out the nearly half-billion dollar judgment against him in his New York civil fraud case, calling it an “unauthorized, unprecedented power-grab” by the state’s attorney general.
The Hill reports:
“Based on the ruling in this case, no company will want to come to New York to do business, and many businesses are fleeing,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in paperwork filed with the state’s mid-level appeals court. “The economic aspects of this decision are a disaster for New York. NYAG has used the statute in a way never seen before.”
The former president’s appeal arguments echoed those he made at trial, including that banks wanted to work with the Trump Organization, did their own due diligence and found no fraud. Trump’s attorneys also contended that there were “no victims and no losses” from the company’s business deals, describing the former president as “among the most visionary and iconic real estate developers in American history.”
“If Appellants’ conduct constituted ‘fraud’ under § 63(12), then that word has no meaning, and NYAG’s power to seize and destroy private businesses is boundless — and standardless,” the attorneys wrote.
In addition to the multimillion-dollar judgment, Trump was barred from holding top leadership positions at any New York company for three years.
In a statement, Trump attorney Chris Kise called the former president a “visionary and iconic real estate titan who has been baselessly pursued and persecuted” by James. He also condemned the judgment as “draconian, unlawful and unconstitutional.”
“During 44 days of trial, not one witness, not one complaint, and not one victim supported Letitia James’ manufactured claims of ‘fraud,’” Kise said. “To the contrary, the evidence established President Trump’s net worth far exceeded what was reported in his financial statements and the sophisticated bankers involved pursued and enjoyed a long and satisfactory business relationship with him as a prized client.”
