Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Fact check: Trump falsely claims he isn't allowed to appeal fraud ruling until he puts up big money

Share
WASHINGTON -

Former President Donald Trump made a series of false claims on Tuesday while railing against the judge who issued the US$454 civil fraud judgment against him.

Trump posted the claims on social media the day after his lawyers said in a court filing that he had been unable to persuade any company to provide the appeal bond he needs in order to stop New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the successful lawsuit against him, from beginning to collect on Judge Arthur Engoron’s judgment.

Trump baselessly accused Engoron and James of corruption and that they are “asking me to put up massive amounts of money before I am allowed to appeal the ridiculous decision. Never done before.â€

He also that Engoron “wants me to put up Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for the Right to Appeal his ridiculous decision†and “Engoron wants me to put up the ridiculous fine (I DID NOTHING WRONG!) before I get a chance to Appeal his crazed ruling - A first!â€

Trump in another post: “I shouldn’t have to put up any money, being forced by the Corrupt Judge and AG, until the end of the appeal. That’s the way system works!â€

Facts First: Trump’s claims are comprehensively untrue. He is allowed to appeal Engoron’s decision without putting up any money. In fact, he is already appealing; he , the first business day after Engoron made the ruling official. And what Trump is actually being required to do – put up cash or a bond for the full amount of the judgment to secure a stay that would prevent James from collecting during the appeals process – is not “a first†or something “never done before.†The requirement is set out by , and it is regularly applied in civil cases in the state.

“This is literally the way that the NY rules of court are designed to work, and actually work every day,†said , a former federal prosecutor who is now a litigator in private practice in New York. He said the rules being applied to Trump “are applied every day in New York courts, on verdicts of all sizes,†though the size of the judgment against Trump is notably large.

Epner added: “Donald Trump is either horribly misinformed or lying.â€

Given that Trump appealed Engoron’s ruling before putting up any money, it is obvious that Engoron hasn’t made the right to appeal dependent on putting up a large amount of money. “He’s allowed to appeal regardless… he’s already appealing,†said , president of a surety bond agency in New York.

James gave Trump a 30-day grace period before she starts to collect on the judgment. It ends on Monday, March 25, meaning that this date is a to find the cash or a bond unless a New York appeals court panel agrees to to allow him to avoid putting up the money until the end of the appeals process – which could be years from now. (The appeals court could alternately allow Trump to put up a smaller amount of money.)

If Trump did not secure a stay, James collected on the judgment, and then Trump eventually won the case on appeal, James would be required to return any collected money to Trump along with interest, Epner said.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

British Columbia saw a rare unanimous vote in its legislature in October 2019, when members passed a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, setting out standards including free, prior and informed consent for actions affecting them.

Two and a half years after losing her best friend and first love to suicide, Brooke Ford shared her story of grief and resilience at the CMHA Windsor-Essex Suicide Awareness Walk.

A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.

opinion

opinion How to make the most out of your TFSA

The Tax-Free Savings Account can be a powerful savings tool and investment vehicle. Financial contributor Christopher Liew explains how they work and how to take full advantage of them so you can reach your financial goals faster.

Local Spotlight

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.