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Fresh off a major appellate win, President Donald Trump on Sunday tore into New York Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw his state civil fraud trial, calling him “incompetent,” “crooked” and nearly as “corrupt” as New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump’s barbs followed an appellate ruling that erased a $500 million penalty in James’ high-profile civil fraud case, handing Trump one of his biggest legal wins yet.
“The Appellate Court removed incompetent Judge Engoron, but he refused to go, or even to acknowledge them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He’s a highly overturned, CROOKED Judge, who is retiring into a life of lawsuits, along with his Chief Clerk, soon! He is almost as Corrupt as Leticia James, but not quite!”
Engoron presided over the non-jury trial, and Trump allies accused him of bias against the president-elect, his family and his company. Trump was accused of inflating the value of his assets to get more favorable terms from a lender his real estate business worked with.
JUDGE WHO FINED TRUMP $500 MILLION GETS THE BOOKS THROWN AT HIM
Justice Arthur Engoron sits in his court room during the civil fraud trial of-gh President Donald Trump at New York State Supreme Court on October 24, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Segar-Pool/Getty Images)
The New York Appellate Division tossed the penalty, ruling the fine was excessive and violated the Eighth Amendment.
The five-member panel upheld findings that Trump and his company were liable, affirming James acted within her authority and that injunctive relief against the Trump Organization was appropriate.
The ruling left liability intact but wiped out the $364 million penalty plus interest, which totaled about $500 million.
TURLEY HAILS TRUMP’S ‘TREMENDOUS VICTORY’ AFTER CIVIL FRAUD PENALTY TOSSED, BLASTS ‘GROTESQUE’ USE OF NY LAW
NY Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at…
