Donald Trump has seen a number of his legal problems dissolve after he was elected as the next President of the United States last month, but it sounds like he will still be on the hook in his absolutely massive civil fraud trial.
Earlier this year, a New York judge hit Donald Trump $454 million civil fraud judgment after he was found to have fraudulently inflated the value of his assets, including his prestigious and beloved golf courses, in order to obtain more favorable loan and insurance rates.
Last month, Trump attorney D. John Sauer requested that New York Attorney General Letitia James drop her civil case against Trump to “cure” partisan divides and improve “the health of our Republic.”
This week, however, she made it very clear that she had no intention of doing that.
In a letter to Trump’s lawyer on Tuesday, a lawyer representing James confirmed that even though Trump is set to take office as President of the United States next month, he will still face that judgment.
The letter said that because presidents do not have immunity from civil litigation, James plans to continue defending her judgment against Trump during his appeal of the case
“The ordinary burdens of civil litigation do not impede the President’s official duties in a way that violates the U.S. Constitution,” New York Deputy Solicitor General Judith Vale wrote in a letter to Sauer according to ABC News.
This is horrible news for Trump not only because it is a massive sum of money, but also because there is a chance that it could cost him his golf courses.
If Trump does not win his appeal and he is unable to come up with the money, courts could begin seizing properties and assets that were found to have had “fraudulent” and “misleading” values. That includes several of his golf courses.
In fact, Trump admitted earlier this year that as a result of this judgment, he would be “forced to mortgage or sell” some of his assets – possibly including his golf courses – at what could be “Fire Sale prices” in order to pay the sum. James even took initial steps toward seizing one of those golf courses earlier this year.
Trump has hosted several PGA Tour and LIV Golf events on his prestigious courses over the years. He obviously does not want to be forced to sell them or have them seized.
[ABC News]
