CLEVELAND, Ohio Regarding Donald Trump’s appeal of being found liable for fraud and fined $527 million, the five-judge New York Appeals Court was strongly split on all but two points. They acknowledged that he was dishonest, but the fine was as extravagant as the gold gilding he had used to tarnish the oval office and was overturned by the exaggerated value he placed on his NYC Trump Tower penthouse and other properties.
Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over the lower court, fined Trump $355 million after he was found responsible. The $527 million fine included interest and other sanctions for Trump Organization officials, including Trump’s two sons, Eric and Don Jr.
Judges Dianne Renwick and Peter Mouton, both chosen by the Democratic Governor, wrote one of the three opinions from the Appeals Court bench:
Even if there was undoubtedly harm, it was not enough to warrant a nearly billion-dollar award—an exorbitant fine that goes against the US Constitution’s Eighth Amendment.
In November, Trump had previously won a larger appeal from the Court of Public Opinion. Even though he was convicted of felonies, fraud, and inciting the January 6 Insurrection attack on the U.S. Capitol, the majority of American voters chose him to serve a second term in the White House. The main cause of that victory was the skyrocketing cost of goods, which has only gone up.
