by Olivier Acuña Barba •Published: August 21, 2025•22:33•2 minutes read
Donald Trump says he is engaged in fraud despite the judge | Credit: Joshua Ascoff/Shutterstock
The New York Court of Appeals refused a $500 million civil fraud sentence on President Donald Trump and his company on Thursday, August 21, for routinely over-examining their property in financial statements. However, some judges in the first division of the state appellate department agreed that Trump and his company were engaged in fraud.
“The harm certainly occurred, but it was not a catastrophe that could justify a near-$5 billion award for the state,” the two judges wrote. Judge Arthur Ngoron had ordered Trump to pay fees to significantly inflate the value of the Trump organization’s property and secure favorable loans. In this case, Judge Nöngoron had ordered Trump to pay $355 million.
However, in a lengthy ruling released on August 21, a judge in the Appeals Division of the New York Supreme Court said Trump was liable for fraud, but the nearly $5 billion fine was excessive and perhaps violated constitutional protections against severe punishments. In a very unusual move, two judges hoping for a new trial, John Higgit and Llinét Rosado, entered into opinions by judges who supported a finding of fraud that ended the court’s deadlock and allowed parties to file a lawsuit.
“Amazing situation”
“We will take this measure to take this measure to take this measure under the truly extraordinary circumstances here, as the work does not enjoy the majority’s support, and allow this panel to reach a decision,” Higgit wrote, explaining why he and Rosado were effectively sided with Peter Moulton and Diane Renwick, despite him and Rosado not agreeing to a large part of their decision. “The surprising situation required an amazing solution,” Higgitt wrote.
Playing cards celebration
“A complete victory in the fake state attorney general of New York, Leticia James!” I wrote it Trump in a true society. “I greatly respect the fact that the courts had the courage to abandon this illegal and dishonorable decision that was hurting businesses throughout New York.” He went on to say, “It was a political witch hunt, and in a business sense, it was something no one ever saw,” linking it to the 2020 election. “This was an instance of election interference by cities and states trying to make it illegal to see what I did wrong when everything I actually did was absolutely right and even perfect.”
Eric Trump too Celebrated The verdict in a telephone interview with NBC News. “This is the biggest victory in the world,” said the president’s son, executive vice president of the Trump organization. “We always knew this was going to happen. The incident was totally won and it’s a big day for us.”
