New York appeals court throws out $500 million penalty against Trump

An appeals court threw out a more than $500 million judgement against President Trump and his business empire in a sharply divided and splintered ruling that paves the way for further proceedings before New York’s highest court.

This was connected with a lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The appeals court said that the penalty, “which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the State of New York, is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

President Trump celebrated the decision on social media. “TOTAL VICTORY in the FAKE New York State Attorney General Letitia James Case! I greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was hurting Business all throughout New York State,” Trump wrote.

“Others were afraid to do business there. The amount, including Interest and Penalties, was over $550 Million Dollars. It was a Political Witch Hunt, in a business sense, the likes of which no one has ever seen before,” Trump added.

“Total victory in the sham NY Attorney General case!!! After 5 years of hell, justice prevailed!” wrote Eric Trump, President Donald Trump’s son. In a concurring opinion with the decision, Appellate Division Judge Peter Moulton wrote that James “did not carry her initial burden” of establishing the rough total of the profits “causally connected” to the defendants’ violations.

In a concurring opinion with the decision, Appellate Division Judge Peter Moulton wrote that James “did not carry her initial burden” of establishing the rough total of the profits “causally connected” to the defendants’ violations.

“This is a huge win for Donald Trump, any way you cut it. And this is a stinging rebuke to the Attorney General Letitia James,” CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said.

“Indeed, the calculation of the disgorgement in this case was far from a reasonable approximation,” Moulton wrote. “This is a huge win for Donald Trump, any way you cut it. And this is a stinging rebuke to the Attorney General Letitia James,” CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said.

Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba, meanwhile, called the ruling “a resounding victory for President Trump and his company.”

“The court struck down the outrageous and unlawful $464 million penalty, confirming what we have said from the beginning: the Attorney General’s case was politically motivated, legally baseless, and grossly excessive,” Habba, who was on Trump’s legal team in the case and is now an acting US Attorney in New Jersey, said on X. “President Trump won – and justice won with him.”