Former President Donald Trump asked a New York appeals court Wednesday to pause the judgment against him in his civil fraud case while he appeals the ruling, as the ex-president faces a tight deadline to turn over more than $454 million and counting in the case if the court doesn’t grant his request—more than the estimated cash he has in the bank.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during the Black Conservative Federation Gala on February 23 in ... [+]
Attorney Cliff Robert filed an application for the court to pause the judgment against Trump and his co-defendants Wednesday, claiming the “overbroad” judgment is without “legal authority or factual support.”
Judge Arthur Engoron has ordered Trump and his co-defendants—including his sons and ex-CFO Allen Weisselberg—to pay $465 million in the case including pre-judgment interest, with Trump personally on the hook for $454.2 million of that total.
That total continues to increase each day until Trump pays it off—including during his appeal—with the ex-president owing an additional $111,984 in interest per day, based on a nine percent annual interest rate.
Trump has already given notice he’s appealing Engoron’s ruling, but appealing the case doesn’t stop him from still having to either pay the $454.2 million into a court-ordered account while it’s being appealed, or post an appeals bond in which a third-party company guarantees his ability to pay.
The judgment against Trump and his co-defendants is “punitive, patently improper” and “unsupported by the evidence,” Robert argued in an “affirmation of urgency” submitted to the court, claiming more than $350 million of the judgment is based on claims that are “barred by the statute of limitations.”
It’s unclear when the appeals court could rule on Trump’s request. If the court doesn’t grant it, Trump will likely only have weeks to try and get the amount of cash he needs or post a bond. Though there’s nothing in New York law that requires any kind of grace period before the New York Attorney General’s office, which brought the case, can try to start enforcing the judgment—such as by asking the court to seize Trump’s assets—the New York Times notes they’re expected to wait until 30 days since the judgment has passed.
This story is breaking and will be updated.