The judge who presided over the civil fraud case against Donald Trump and his company has rejected his attorney's request to delay enforcing the $350 million judgment against them.
"You have failed to explain, much less justify, any basis for a stay," Judge Arthur Engoron wrote in an email Thursday to Trump attorney Clifford S. Robert shortly before he officially signed off on the judgment, which totals over $450 million with pre-judgment interest.
In an email to the judge Wednesday, Robert noted that the company has a court-appointed monitor already in place, so "there is no prejudice to the (state) Attorney General in briefly staying enforcement to allow for an orderly post-Judgement process, particularly given the magnitude of Judgement.”
A special counsel in the New York attorney general’s office, Andrew Amer, said in a letter to Engoron Thursday that he shouldn't grant Robert's request because the defendants didn’t “provide any basis for staying enforcement of the judgement.” He also noted that the defendants “requested such relief in their post-trial brief, which the Court declined to grant.”
In a follow-up email to the judge Thursday, Robert wrote while AG Letitia James' office wouldn't be harmed by a 30-day delay, "the prejudice to the defendants is considerable."
Engoron suggested he make his case to the appeals court.
"I am confident that the Appellate Division will protect your appellate rights," he wrote.
While the court docket shows the judge signed the judgment Thursday, it needs to be officially entered by a court clerk to take effect.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the 9% annual interest on the damages "will continue to increase” daily until it is paid.
Trump is expected to appeal the ruling but would have to post a bond for the full amount of the damages before doing so.
In early January, James requested a $370 million fine against Trump and his companies and a lifetime ban on him and two of his former company executives from the real estate industry in the state. The attorney general also asked for five-year bans for Trump’s eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, with the same conditions. Ultimately, the judge barred Trump and two of his former executives from serving in leadership positions in the state for three years and his sons from doing so for two years.
