Trump asks judge to delay the penalties in his civil fraud case

The defendants in the civil fraud case involving former President Donald Trump have requested the judge to postpone the enforcement of penalties. These penalties include a $354 million fine for Trump and a temporary ban on running a business in New York.

A lawyer representing the defendants asked Judge Arthur Engoron for a 30-day delay in enforcing the penalties to facilitate an organized post-judgment process.

The delay request arose from a disagreement over the judgment order of the case, which marks the beginning of the penalty timeline after a trial. Once Judge Engoron signs the judgment order, Trump has 30 days to pay the fine or post a bond to appeal the case.

Lawyers for New York Attorney General Letitia James submitted a draft judgment, prompting criticism from Trump’s defense attorney Clifford Robert.

Robert argued that depriving the defendants of the chance to propose a counter-judgment would violate fairness and due process. Engoron then asked for a written response from Robert to clarify the differences between the defense’s judgment and the proposed order.

Robert later highlighted that the attorney general’s judgment had errors and deviated from standard practice, emphasizing the lack of a formal motion or settlement.

Due to the significant penalties involved, Robert requested a 30-day stay on penalties if Engoron approves the attorney general’s proposed judgment.

Robert emphasized that with the court-appointed monitor still in place, delaying the enforcement briefly would not prejudice the Attorney General and would allow for a smooth post-judgment process given the severity of the judgment.

Trump was fined $354.8 million plus around $100 million in pre-judgment interest after Engoron found that he had inflated his net worth to secure better loan terms.

The former president has denied any wrongdoing and intends to appeal the decision.