New York state Judge Arthur Engoron is expected to rule as soon as Wednesday on how much Trump and his co-defendants must pay in a civil fraud lawsuit and whether the former president may continue to do business in New York.
Engoron previously announced that he intends to rule on up to $370 million in penalties after finding the former president and co-defendants guilty of fraud for inflating the value of business properties owned by the Trump Organization when applying for business loans and insurance.
Letitia James, New York’s Attorney General, prosecuted the case, accusing Trump and his co-defendants of misrepresenting the worth of corporate assets such as 40 Wall Street, Trump Tower, and the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
On September 25, Engoron found against Trump and his co-defendants, withdrew the Trump Organization’s New York business license, and appointed a receiver to take control of its New York properties and manage their dissolution.
“In defendants’ world: rent-regulated apartments are worth the same as unregulated apartments; restricted land is worth the same as unrestricted land; restrictions can evaporate into thin air; a disclaimer by one party casting responsibility on another party exonerates the other party’s lies,” Engoron told the court in his summary judgment, according to a report published by CNN.
After 11 weeks of discussions, the case’s damages phase concluded with closing arguments on January 11.
During the trial, Trump accused James of filing a politically motivated legal complaint against him and the Trump Organization. His lead attorney, Alina Habba, stated that the trial’s outcome was never in doubt, and the case was lost before it went to trial.
James claimed the case was not politically motivated.