A New York appeals court has thrown out the half billion-dollar civil fraud judgment handed down last year against President Donald Trump, his family and his company.The Appellate Division's First Department upheld last year's ruling finding Trump, his eldest sons and his business liable for a decade's worth of business fraud.The appellate court, however, found the penalty of $454 million to be an excessive fine at odds with the Eighth Amendment."The documentary evidence supports Supreme Court's conclusion that the Attorney General made a prima facie showing that each defendant participated in the fraudulent scheme," the opinion said.
"The trial record is also replete with evidence supporting the court's determination that the individual defendants had the requisite intent to defraud, a necessary element of each Penal Law claim."MORE: Trump civil fraud case: Judge fines Trump $354 million, says frauds 'shock the conscience'However, said the opinion, "while harm certainly occurred, it was not the cataclysmic harm that can justify a nearly half billion-dollar award to the State."The decision allows either side to pursue an appeal to the state's highest court, the New York Court of Appeals."Today's ruling by the New York appeals court is a resounding victory for President Trump and his company," said Trump's former personal attorney Alina Habba, who helped represent Trump in the case and was later named interim U.S.attorney for New Jersey.
"The court struck down the outrageous and unlawful $464 million penalty, confirming what we have said from the beginning: the Attorney General's case was politically motivated, legally baseless, and grossly excessive."After a three-month civil trial last year, New York Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump liable for committing a decade of business fraud by inflating his net worth to secure better business deals.President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House, August 18, 202...