New York Attorney General trolls former president as interest starts accruing on monster judgment
A $455m judgment against Donald Trump is increasing by more than $110,000 each day due to interest penalties.
And New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is preprared to seize his assets if necessary, is not going to let Mr Trump forget.
When the final judgment in the sprawling fraud trial against Mr Trump, his adult sons Donald Jr and Eric Trump, and former Trump Organization executives was approved on Friday, the attorney general’s X account posted the exact figure down to the last cent.
Twenty four hours later, her account wrote: “+$114,553.04”.
I don’t think that’s quite how it works, but I’m not sure.
If he wants to appeal then he has to post cash or surety within 30 days. If he does not, then he can not appeal.
However, I assume that if he does not, the court will still have some song and dance to do before seizing assets.
I suspect Trump will not post bond and appeal, but rather try to delay payment as long as possible, hoping to become POTUS and just authoritarian his way out of it.
He doesn’t have to post an appeal bond (otherwise known as a supersedeas bond) to appeal but not doing so means the plaintiff can seize the money pending the outcome of the appeal and can do so how they see fit after 30 days of the judgement.
So on the one hand he could put up various properties as sureties to a bond company and post bond and at least retain control & income from those properties pending appeal. Or he can fail to post bond let the plaintiffs seize what they like regardless of the harm it causes his reputation and business. I’m pretty sure E Jean Carroll and New York would be quite happy to force him to sell off Trump Tower or whatever else to meet his obligations.
But regarding surety & bond, I wonder what bond company would trust Trump’s valuations of his own properties. They’ll probably demand he put so much up in surety that he’d balk at it. Hence why shady foreign business men might enter the picture.