The judge overseeing the civil fraud case in New York against former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization has issued his long-awaited ruling, five weeks after the trial in the case concluded.
New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the civil suit in 2022, seeking a penalty that grew to $370 million and asking the judge to bar Trump from doing business in the state. Trump, the Trump Organization and several executives, including his two eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, were named as co-defendants in the suit.
Judge Arthur Engoron handed down his decision Friday. He had already ruled in September that Trump and the other defendants were liable for fraud, based on the evidence presented through pretrial filings.
The judge had largely affirmed James’ allegations that Trump and others at his company had inflated valuations of his properties by hundreds of millions of dollars over a the course of a decade and misrepresented his wealth by billions in a scheme, the state said, intended to trick banks and insurers into offering more favorable deal terms.
Trump and his legal team long expected a defeat, with the former president decrying the case as “rigged” and a “sham” and his lawyers laying the groundwork for an appeal before the decision was even issued. He is expected to appeal.
Read Judge Engoron’s decision here:
