The appellate hearing for Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss the $454 million fraud judgment against him has commenced. Trump attorney John Sauer is presenting first, followed by Judith Vale, the Deputy Solicitor General for the New York Attorney General.
The hearing is anticipated to last around 30 minutes, with each side allocated approximately 15 minutes for their arguments. Trump’s legal team is aiming to reverse the $454 million judgment imposed by state Judge Arthur Engoron in February. The judge found Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his business accountable for fraud, false financial statements, and false business records.
The judgment against Trump amounted to $354 million, with an additional $100 million in interest that had accrued by the time of the judge’s ruling in February. The interest continues to accumulate at a rate of nearly $112,000 per day while Trump pursues his appeal, with the total surpassing $478 million as of Thursday, according to a knowledgeable source.
Trump’s legal representatives will also address Judge Arthur Engoron’s sanctions against them, which were issued in September 2023. The sanctions were imposed due to their repeated use of legal arguments against the New York attorney general’s lawsuit that had already been denied by the judge.
