Below is my column in Fox.com on the New York opinion tossing out the grotesque half-billion-dollar fine imposed by Judge Arthur Engoron. Despite the support of many lawyers and pundits, Engoron could not get a single judge to agree with him on the fine.
Here is the column:
In New York, a court revealed that a leading citizen had cooked the books by inflating questionable figures without any support in reality. Moreover, his wild overvaluation was widely viewed as motivated by his self-aggrandizement. The final reported figures are so absurdly inflated that they were rejected in their entirety. In the end, he was off by over half a billion dollars.
That man is Judge Arthur Engoron.
After a New York appellate court unanimously threw out Engoron’s absurd half-a-billion-dollar judgment and interest against President Donald Trump, the irony was crushing. It was Engoron who seemed, as he characterized Trump witnesses, as having “simply denied reality.” It made his notorious reliance on an assessment of Mar-a-Lago as worth between $18 million and $27.6 million seem like good accounting.
In the end, he could not get a single judge to preserve a single dollar of that fine.
For some of us who covered that trial, the most vivid image of Engoron came at the start. He indicated that he did not want cameras in the courtroom, but when the networks showed up, Engoron took off his glasses and seemed to pose for the cameras.
It was a “Sunset Boulevard” moment. We only need Gloria Swanson looking into the camera to speak to “those wonderful people out there in the dark!” and announcing “all right, [Ms. James], I’m ready for my close-up.”
The close-up was not a good idea, and, on appeal, it was perfectly disastrous. The court found little legal or factual basis for his fine. The purported witnesses not only did not lose a dime, but they testified that they made money on the loans and wanted new loans with the Trump administration. That did not move Engoron. From the start, he was speaking to those “wonderful people out there.”
You did not have to go far. In both the civil and criminal trials of Trump in New York, there was a carnival atmosphere in the street outside the courthouse. It was really not derangement as much as delirium. Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James had injected lawfare directly into the veins of New Yorkers. Pledging in her campaign to bag Trump (without bothering to name any crime or violation), James was elected based on her recreational rather than legal appeal.
Yet, James could not have succeeded if she had not had a judge willing to ignore reality and cook the books on the fines. She needed a partner in lawfare. She needed Engoron.
Even for some anti-Trump commentators, the judgment was impossible to defend and some acknowledged that they had never seen any case like this one brought in New York.
Judge David Friedman gave Engoron a close-up that would have made Swanson wince. He detailed how the underlying law “has never been used in the way it is being used in this case – namely, to attack successful, private, commercial transactions, negotiated at arm’s length between highly sophisticated parties fully capable of monitoring and defending their own interests.”
He accused Engoron of participating in an effort clearly directed by James as “ending with the derailment of President Trump’s political career and the destruction of his real estate business.”
Other judges said that Engoron’s fine was so off base and engorged that it was an unconstitutional order under the Eighth Amendment, protecting citizens from “cruel and unusual” punishments. So, Engoron not only inflated the figures but shredded the Constitution in his effort to deliver a blow against Trump.
Trump can now appeal the residual parts of the Engoron decision imposing limits on the Trump family doing business in New York. Some of those limits could be moot by the time of any final judgment. Ironically, if Engoron had shown a modicum of restraint, he might have secured a victory. During the trial in New York, I said that he would have been smart to impose a dollar fine and limited injunctive relief. That, however, required a modicum of judicial restraint and judgment.
Instead, Engoron chose to walk down the stairway into infamy. He was off by half a billion dollars, which could put him in the Bernie Madoff class of judges.
In other words, if he wanted to be remembered on that first day, Arthur Engoron succeeded.
The Trial became, and now has become, a shining example of Democratic Mentality: tyranny against an opponent. Debase, obfuscate, lie, accusation in a mirror, and gaslight just to name a few tyrannical leftists’ methods of deceit.
The court ruling is no surprise and especially in New York, the pressure from bankers, corporate legal, developers and anyone who has or had real estate they purchased with debt. I also assume that the Banks that were called into question about their decisions rang a bell loud enough to be heard in the Court House.
The base premise the judge used was the banks were fleeced by a rascal of the lowest order, and they no idea or financial knowledge of sufficiency to make the loans. The loan amounts I saw were in the magnitude where approval would have to come from Committee. The lead loan officer would have submitted justifications, including history of borrower, pro-forma, internal analyses of pro-forma, recommendations of loan amount and collateral etc. and dependent of back structure it may have required board approval also. So, the judge and district attorney stretched the rubber band till if snapped and hit the circuit, let’s see what the supreme has to say.
Not sure I want to wade through 300 pages of opinions, but I wonder how they passed over the judge granting a summary judgment on liability and his exclusion of relevant contrary evidence which should have negated the entire judgment. It is now up to the Court of Appeals to return the rule of law to the New York courts. The Appellate Division did seem to eliminate the possibility of the Supreme Court having jurisdiction for a further appeal by basing its decision on the 8th Amendment.
WOW!!! MY MAPS (THE BEST MAPS EVER MADE) WILL SOON PASS IN THE GREATEST LEGISLATURE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD (NOT JUST AMERICA). AMERICA CAN THANK ME (GAVIN C. NEWSOM) AND TWO VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE — MAGIC MIKE & RAINMAKER ROBERT, WHO LEAD THE LEGISLATURE — TOTAL LEGENDS!!! THESE ARE “PERFECT, BEAUTIFUL” MAPS. BETTER THAN COLUMBUS, BETTER THAN GOOGLE MAPS, BETTER THAN APPLE MAPS (SORRY TIM, NO GOLD BAR FOR ME, BUT I STILL LOVE YOU!). PEOPLE ARE ALREADY SCREAMING “MAMA! MAMA!” AND I SAY, “NO, I AM YOUR DADDY!!!” THE GOLDEN ERA BEGINS IN THE GOLDEN STATE, ALL BECAUSE OF ME, THE PEOPLE’S GOVERNOR, THE CARTOGRAPHER-IN-CHIEF, WHO WILL NOW LET THE PEOPLE VOTE!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER — GCN
https://x.com/Eman856/status/1958622611757318572
THANK YOU SIR.
I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE YOU FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
THANK YOU, GAVIN C. NEWSOM!
AMERICA’S GOVERNOR!
https://x.com/masonisonx/status/1958627923424157826
MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THE MAPS, THE BIG BEAUTIFUL MAPS, ARE SO TREMENDOUS THAT THE RADICAL RIGHT MEDIA IS MELTING DOWN.
JESSE “EVEN MY MOTHER DOESN’T LOVE ME” WATTERS (LOW RATINGS!) CAN’T BELIEVE IT. HE’S SUFFERING FROM NEWSOM DERANGEMENT SYNDROME OR NDS. SAD!
Hey fool the CAP key is to you left.
Watch out Dusty or it will be Beowulf in German for a few days!
lin
It is completely pointless posting links to actual facts for John Say.
He prefers to get his information from the voices in his head.
When the voices fail him, he simply makes stuff up.
His long meandering comments drift from disconnected thought to disconnected thought in an incomprehensible diatribe of nonsense that only makes sense to him.
It is worth noting that he never, ever posts a link to a source with actual facts.
No point in arguing with the poor delusional man.
Just pity his inability to recognize reality.
You’re a textbook example of the Dunning–Kruger effect. Never forget that.
It’s smazing how low IQ people can’t stay on topic but think they can browbeat people into their silly beliefs and theories by merely changing the subject. This post is about the corrupt judge in a fraud case, nothing else.
It never works, the world laughs at a fool.
It’s equally amazing how people engage them.
“GOOFY GAVIN” NEWSCUM
COMRADE GENERAL SECRETARY AND DEAR LEADER
ONE-PARTY COMMUNIST STATE OF CALIFORNIA
(Letitia James, US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, The N.Y. Bar Asso.)
I think it signifies the State of New York’s (Including NYC); Courts, State DOJ, State Legislature and the disconnect between the People of New York and People of the Greater Part of America as they see the Government(s) of New York State.
New York has lost it’s charm. A diaspora caused by Political calculation & mismanagement. It’s the Tail end of the Rust Belt Era (NYC = Detroit), and it has finally caught up with it.
The Crown has now been passed to Florida, Texas, see you Tennessee!
So, Engoron not only inflated the figures but shredded the Constitution in his effort to deliver a blow against Trump.
Back in the 1980s computers used a CRT screen (cathode-ray tube). If you held a magnet up to it, the letters would get all distorted in funny looking patters because of the action of the magnet on the electron beam striking the screen from behind.
That is a metaphor for how much of the legal system has corrupted the law to “get Trump.” Trump is the magnet, and the laws and Constitution are displayed on the screen. They hold Trump up and the laws and Constitution get all distorted. As portions of the legal system slowly recover from TDS, the magnetic field’s strength is diminished, leading to the vacating of these ridiculous verdicts.
(Before Dobbs, abortion was the magnet – leading to the so-called “abortion distortion” – but that’s another topic.)
I’ve been amazed that for over two hundred years hidden in the Constitution was a “but Trump” clause that nobody noticed until 2016.
No clauses are needed—Your LIMITED vision cannot rightly decode what’s on the cathode ray tube. It’s quite interesting that you stupidly, but inadvertently and truthfully, compare trump to the electron beam (hidden clause). He-he. Metaphors are dangerous—be careful, little one.
Wow Trump lives in your head rent free.
Brainless reply to a good chop. Entertain the metaphor and try to burn a few more calories.
…. “It’s smazing how low IQ people can’t stay on topic but think they can browbeat people into their silly beliefs and theories by merely changing the subject.”
Diana – I read the anonymous comment as sarcastic, making fun of the people in the legal system who are “out to get Trump.”
…. I see. Could easily be read either way, but point taken. Too many Anons here, multiple comments, quick reading of threads, and looking for a cogent response to the specific metaphor: sometimes too much input. My apologies to [which???] Anon. Please step up.
Sorry, I thought that it was obviously sarcasm.
No need to be sorry, just wanted to make the admission of mistake to the correct Anon.
Sarcasm, when dealt (here) by so many Anons, many of which are antagonistic, can lead to a misread and a pattern response. The inherent scorn of sarcasm can cut both ways.—I think that’s obvious too, but often taken for granted. A good thing about commenting on a site like this is that the [in]civility, which sometimes gets out of hand, is still on a higher level. Thanks for responding!
Whoa, OMFK, that most striking metaphor is not only politically spot-on, it is positively charged with heavy-duty spiritual and philosophical import. My brain has been expanded! New dendrites are forming!! Hear-Hear!!!
Goldstein—ah, I mean Trump—is the magnet held up in front of the Constitution. Just as a CRT screen’s image twists under a magnet, the law and the Constitution warp under political obsession. When the magnet is removed, the screen clears and reality returns—because 2 + 2 is still 4, no matter how loudly the Party of 1984 insists otherwise.
It must be so infuriating to the trolls to watch Roadrunner Trump racing off into the distance while they’re left with a giant boulder descending upon them yet again. Meep meep.
All of you trolls acting like this case has any merit going forward, please just stop. You’re looking like a bunch of damn fools. There’s not going to be much left of that dead horse the way that you’re whipping it.
Sweet Jesus! – This person doesn’t know when to quit. She’s going to get hit with an Election Interference suit.
She’s begging to up this to a Federal Court Level. But Why? – Mid Terms, not a good enough reason, there’s still three more years of Trump. And besides by the time of the 2028 Election, Zohran Kwame Mamdani will have cobbled NYC to ruin. A Fruitless Endeavor.
Attorney General James Releases Statement on First Department Opinion Affirming Donald Trump is Liable for Fraud
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department of the New York State Supreme Court issued three opinions in her office’s civil fraud case against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization:
“The First Department today affirmed the well-supported finding of the trial court: Donald Trump, his company, and two of his children are liable for fraud.
“The court upheld the injunctive relief we won, limiting Donald Trump and the Trump Organization officers’ ability to do business in New York. It should not be lost to history: yet another court has ruled that the president violated the law, and that our case has merit.
“We will seek appeal to the Court of Appeals and continue to protect the rights and interests of New Yorkers.”
By: Office of the New York State Attorney General
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-releases-statement-first-department-opinion-affirming
Letitia James Responds After Trump’s NYC Civil Fraud Penalty Overturned
New York Attorney General Letitia James reacted with a statement after an appeals court overturned the $500 million-plus civil fraud penalty against President Donald Trump and two of his sons, while upholding a finding he engaged in fraud by exaggerating his wealth for decades.
In a statement, the attorney general said that while the penalty was overturned, “yet another court has ruled that the president violated the law, and that our case has merit.”
By: By Peter Aitken and Gabe Whisnant Newsweek ~ Aug 21, 2025
https://www.newsweek.com/letitia-james-responds-after-trumps-nyc-civil-fraud-penalty-overturned-2117204
Hahaha, Big Tish ought to cut her losses and take the L now. No way is this going to be getting any better for her going forward.
Besides, how’s she going to keep going with the case when she’s in a federal prison cell?
She is not wrong. Lots of Trump supporters are giddy over the fine being overturned. They are focusing so much on that that they are forgetting or stupidly leaving out the rest of the ruling. The case is not dead. The appeals court did assert Engoron’s interpretation of the law and his finding. That is still in play and that is why Professor Turley is so focused on the fine and not on the remaining fact that Trump is still liable and still not out of the woods.
The AG can and she seems she will appeal the sentencing ruling and can ask for the court of appeals to send the case back to recalculate the fine. The other punishments were found to be within the law. Trump and his sons are still subject to the rest of the punishments the professor left out.
This case is dead. Just admit the truth and you’ll be better for it. You’re wasting your life pretending otherwise.
Incorrect. The case is not dead. The sentencing is the only thing the judges tossed out. Even professor Turley didn’t go as far as declaring the case dead. If it was there would be no ability to appeal.
You really need to just face reality here. While technically the case is still alive, it’s on life support and the priest is already administering the last rites. The organ donor people are waiting in the hallway with the coolers. This thing is going nowhere and in a year it will be forgotten after some other court tosses out the rest of it. I know it. You know it. You’re in the bargaining stage of grief. It’s time for you to move on.
This is the 5th or 6th time you have made the same dumb comment about it’s dead and going nowhere.
But thanks for adding to Turley’s “visitor” count every time you open your mouth.
I know it. You know it. You’re in the losing stage of grief. It’s time for you to move on.
Aww, did I strike a nerve sweetpie? Don’t tell me that you actually thought that this absolute turkey of a case was going to result in anything other than hot air from Big Tish. This is what happens when you sign up with absolute losers like the rest of your fetid dying Democrat party.
“The appeals court did assert Engoron’s interpretation of the law and his finding.”
The Court did no such thing. It in fact ordered that Trump is entitled to a new trial.
I thought at the time that the fine violated the 8th Amendment. I’m very pleased to see the case thrown out based on that. There was some question whether the 8th Amendment applied to civil judgments. Hopefully, this case helped to resolve that question. Now apply it to the “rape” judgment against Trump, which is also obviously an excessive fine.
Get ready for the trolls to pretend that there is still some life left is this corpse of a case. There isn’t. It’s dead and over for all intents and purposes. Everyone knows it even if they can’t admit it to themselves yet.
The case was not thrown out. The fine was. The case is very much still in play. It seems a lot of people here are confused about what the ruling meant.
The appeals court found Engoron’s finding was not wrong. The fine was.
This case is dead. Once you accept that reality you’ll feel better.
“The appeals court found Engoron’s finding was not wrong.”
Really?
Then why did the Court order that Trump is entitled to a new trial?
The trial violated every ethical and judicial rule. The judge and DA were criminal. Even that appeals court was in on it. Over a year to decide the obvious. Then throwing it out on the 8th amendment but keeping the business restraints. It should have been thrown out on lack of evidence on the day after the appeal was first heard. Any ‘SANE’ person could tell you that.
I truly hope the Federal DOJ and Atty. General proscutes the NY DA and judge in this case on civil rights violations and abuse of office. The investigation is ongoing.
Turls: you’re trying to act like this case was overturned. It wasn’t…, in fact this decision just maintained the fine was too steep, not that a fine wasn’t deserved….
My guess is what happened is there was a reaction to what, at the time of the trial, was the judge trying to get around fining trump for contempt during the trial by pinning it on the back end. Perhaps a mistake, but one born of legit exasperation.
Now trump might slime out of this the way he has in his other criminal charges, but it won’t be because he’s not guilty. It’ll be because the SCOTUS, and you people working at Fox, have given trump immunity through the job of president if you’re republican. Full stop.
“Turls: you’re trying to act like this case was overturned. It wasn’t…, in fact this decision just maintained the fine was too steep, not that a fine wasn’t deserved….
My guess is what happened is there was a reaction to what, at the time of the trial, was the judge trying to get around fining trump for contempt during the trial by pinning it on the back end. Perhaps a mistake, but one born of legit exasperation.
Now trump might slime out of this the way he has in his other criminal charges, but it won’t be because he’s not guilty. It’ll be because the SCOTUS, and you people working at Fox, have given trump immunity through the job of president if you’re republican. Full stop.”
Gigi, I know that you rear end must be hurting, both from your night job at the truck stop plus how all of the anti-Trump lawfare is falling apart. We’re here for you though, darling. Take heart, you’ll always have your Hillary doll.
Thanks for reading, troll.
When you start each of your rants with the exact same pejorative, it doesn’t take a genius to know not to bother reading any further.
It’s funny how clueless you magats are. You complain about people using anonymous identification constantly. I use ‘turls’ and dumb f$%king magats’ as ID tags just to watch you repeatedly not get it….
Actually I know a couple of you, or one prolific stooge, id’s me right away through my use of these terms but then goes on to insult me in the same wildly uncreative way every single time. Proving to be quite stupid in the process…, but the thing is, my initial response is always to Turley’s subject matter and his roll as a fox news shill for trump in relation to the particular subject matter of the daily push pieces he, or the AI the fox interns post on his blog.
“It’s funny how clueless you magats are. You complain about people using anonymous identification constantly. I use ‘turls’ and dumb f$%king magats’ as ID tags just to watch you repeatedly not get it….
Actually I know a couple of you, or one prolific stooge, id’s me right away through my use of these terms but then goes on to insult me in the same wildly uncreative way every single time. Proving to be quite stupid in the process…, but the thing is, my initial response is always to Turley’s subject matter and his roll as a fox news shill for trump in relation to the particular subject matter of the daily push pieces he, or the AI the fox interns post on his blog.”
Loser, how can it possibly be worth your time to get a quarter per each stupid comment that you post here? Even sweeping the floors at a 7/11 will earn you more than that.
I’ll take your word for how much you get paid in relation to other jobs. Keep wearing that diaper, cap.
The “Malicious use of process” the extreme-left’s bad-faith use of the system, will get similarly and fairly utilized, revealing your own party’s “untouchables” lies and fraudulence—at that point you will pander to any news-organization that absolves your favorite political criminals.
Ask Haitians what they think of your democrat-royalty, the Clintons’, and their crimes…. Suddenly “no one is above the law” will meet with dead silence and slime. Full STOP.
Thanks for reading and being unable to address what i actually said. I’m entertained.
Yes, I disregarded your greater giddy-point; “decision maintained.” And it was. There is still malicious prosecution, at its base, in which many guardrails, precedents and decent protocols were were plowed-under in order to make the case “stick”—using lots of slime, of course.
Dianna Bec,
Excellent take down of the bug! He is not even smart enough to know when he has been owned!
You’re not even smart enough to know what’s on topic or not.
😉
Decision remains in place. Full stop.
I used “full stop” once [for effect] but won’t continue to use your Harris-defined, empty-headed language.
But here’s a final comment to you, logic-deficient-Anon: when a country has been overrun by insurrection and sedition, the first place the “legalized” criminality shows up is in the courts where the indictments and rulings are strange, and extra-legal machinations are configured in order to “destroy” opposition.
In other words, court “decisions” become improper and immoral, and these rulings will stand, no matter how contrived and illegitimate. This is a stark sign of the political plunder of a nation, nothing to be proud of, but your illness won’t let you see that.
It’s a dead case. I know it. You know it. You’re bargaining but you need to move past that stage of your grief.
Okay, if you say so slick…, but that hasn’t been determined legally. Judgement against him still holds and he’s still not allowed to do business in NY. The fine will be lowered on appeal, but the grounds for overthrowing the case are extremely shaky.
“Okay, if you say so slick…, but that hasn’t been determined legally. Judgement against him still holds and he’s still not allowed to do business in NY. The fine will be lowered on appeal, but the grounds for overthrowing the case are extremely shaky.”
Lowered from zero dollars to what?? Negative dollars? Will the state of New York be paying Trump as his penalty? I’m starting to think that you’re a total moron who doesn’t understand that this decision was the death blow to this stupid case. It’s over, and you’re stuck in the bargaining stage of your grief.
Two pump chump/one ball Betty says what?
True but DA James is stupid and going to appeal the case to a higher court. It could even go to the Supreme Court on federal civil rights violations. It will eventually be thrown out for the sham it is, just read what the one non partisan non coward judge David Freeman said about it. Any non partisan judge would see it the same but the NY judiciary is so corrupt they would make Tammany Hall judges blush with shame.
A corrupt SCOTUS carrying trump may well manifest yet again. But for the moment, you magats are out here blowing your cookies in public over something that hasn’t happened yet. Trump has turned you all into two pump chumps.
“A corrupt SCOTUS carrying trump may well manifest yet again. But for the moment, you magats are out here blowing your cookies in public over something that hasn’t happened yet. Trump has turned you all into two pump chumps.”
Sexual slurs and unfounded innuendo. I can see that you’re stuck in the anger stage of your grief over this garbage case having died on you.
Looking forward to the fine getting adjusted as well as the ongoing trump ban from NY.
“the judge trying to get around fining trump for contempt during the trial by pinning it on the back end. Perhaps a mistake, but one born of legit exasperation.”
Do you also find favor with Mangione’s killing of Brian Thompson because Mangione was frustrated? How about the killings by Black Lives Matter or any of the other death and destruction caused by those on the left. Frustration? No. You are just a child who hasn’t learned to deal with frustration and follow the footsteps of frustrated leftists. Dreams but no real ideas.
Donald Trump seems to have a habit of giving in to people who stand up to him, according to a new report.
Michael Cody, the son of a mob-linked Teamsters boss in New York named John Cody, spoke about what Trump was like when he was an up-and-comer in the New York real estate world. John Cody crossed paths with Trump on more than a few projects, his son told the outlet, and some of the lessons he learned then are being revealed now that he’s president.
“I think the dealings with wise guys made him a wannabe,” Michael Cody said. “There’s a lot of wannabes out there, and Trump was one of them… He’s a wannabe Mafia don.”
Cody pointed to Trump’s meeting with foreign leaders who stand up to him. For example, Trump earned the moniker TACO Trump after backing out of so many tariff threats. He also performed an about-face after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week to discuss a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.
“I mean, how much more powerful could a person be?” Cody said. “Why do you always cave in?”
Part of the reason is that Trump never learned how to stand up to mobsters when he was younger, Cody argued. He described younger Trump as “a guy who would talk tough, but as soon as you confronted him, he would cry like a little girl. He was all talk, no action.”
“My father walked all over him,” Cody said. “Any time Trump didn’t do what he was told, my father would shut down his job for the day. No deliveries; 400 guys sitting around.”
TACO
I was curious about your TACO talking point, so I called up your terrorist buddies in Iran. I tried the Fordow nuclear enrichment plant, you know, the one that Obama and Biden funded. The weird thing is that I keep getting a disconnected number message. Any idea why?
It’s just people hanging up on your crazy ass.
Really? I thought it might have been because Trump went and blew up the uranium enrichment facility in Iran that Obama and Biden paid for.
Where do you idiots even come up with this trash? What happened to your equally stupid “Trump is illiterate” talking point from yesterday? Is that no longer operational?
It’s always operational, because unlike with you gullible magats who believe whatever that comes out of trump’s mouth, we know what was true yesterday is likely true today.
Yet, we also have hours and hours of Trump, reading from a teleprompter, giving various speeches. Like, The State of The Union for example.
What does that have to do with this trial? Focus.
That’s a lot of talk from the professor while ignoring the fact the appeals court did find the Judge Engoron’s and AG James’s charges are still valid.
Professor Turley didn’t mention that this is not the end for Trump. The NY Court of appeals could send the sententing decision back to Engoron to decide a more appropriate fine.
It’s amusing how much bloviating and exlaiming victory over one aspect of the whole case that can be changed with an appeal by the AG.
The court agreed with Engoron’s finding of Trump’s faudulentt intentions and lying about it. In prior criticisms the professor argued the NY law was flawed. According to the appeals court it wasn’t. That will weight heavily on a new sentencing amount. They are not going to just leave it at that. Trump will still be held accountable for his crime in NY.
“That’s a lot of talk from the professor while ignoring the fact the appeals court did find the Judge Engoron’s and AG James’s charges are still valid.
Professor Turley didn’t mention that this is not the end for Trump. The NY Court of appeals could send the sententing decision back to Engoron to decide a more appropriate fine.
It’s amusing how much bloviating and exlaiming victory over one aspect of the whole case that can be changed with an appeal by the AG.
The court agreed with Engoron’s finding of Trump’s faudulentt intentions and lying about it. In prior criticisms the professor argued the NY law was flawed. According to the appeals court it wasn’t. That will weight heavily on a new sentencing amount. They are not going to just leave it at that. Trump will still be held accountable for his crime in NY.”
Do spell checkers even exist on the computers in the boiler room where you trolls operate?
Also, wake up to reality. This case is dead. No court is going to resurrect any fine after this body blow of a decision. Whatever is left of this garbage case will also be overturned on further appeals. This is an ex-parrot, in the words of Monty Python. You really ought to move on, because defending this pile of crap only exposes you as a complete partisan idiot.
The case is not dead. The only issue they had with the case was the fine. That can be renegotiated. The court found Engoron’s interpretation and application of NY law was correct. That’s why professor Turley did not address it. He didn’t want to discuss the bigger takeaway from this ruling. Trump still broke the law and he’s still liable to get a fine. The AG will appeal and asks for a smaller more appropriate fine.
“The case is not dead. The only issue they had with the case was the fine. That can be renegotiated. The court found Engoron’s interpretation and application of NY law was correct. That’s why professor Turley did not address it. He didn’t want to discuss the bigger takeaway from this ruling. Trump still broke the law and he’s still liable to get a fine. The AG will appeal and asks for a smaller more appropriate fine.”
This case is dead. Everyone knows it. You’re standing over a dead body with your shock paddles and wondering why the guy isn’t breathing. It’s time for you to face reality and move on.
After a stinging record of huge losses, due to the extreme-left’s bad-faith use of the system, there’s at least one thing left to be absolutely giddy about, ay, Amused-Anon….
Wait till the dems own tactics get fairly utilized, in same manner, revealing their own party’s lies and fraudulence! Suddenly “no one is above the law” will meet with dead silence.
After what they did to Trump, I don’t care what your political leanings are, but if you’re in business why would have not fled that state by now? At least California has the weather as an excuse. New York doesn’t even have that.
“Hot potato, hot potato, who has the hot potato?” is a phrase from a popular children’s game where players pass an object around a circle while music plays, and the person holding it when the music stops is eliminated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_potato
Hot Potatoes:
From Administration to Administration (Biden to Trump)
Courts to DOJ & Congress (Epstein Files)
The Fed to⇄to Treasury (Bond & USD)
Wall Street to⇄to Banks (Corp. & CRE ReFi)
Debts to → Generation → Generation → …
The Music will stop at some point.
How to play Hot Potato
Excellent post, Professor. That said, I came to the comments to observe the Leftist trolls wriggle, squirm, obfuscate, and deflect. I was not disappointed. Another loss for the deranged Left. Glorious.
Putin is making a mockery of peace processes.
Putin will never be talked out of launching drones and missiles into Ukraine.
It is insane and futile to think that he ever could be.
Talks are a waste of time.
The war needs to get overwhelmingly kinetic against Russia.
This is the only way to stop the war and get peace.
You are free to travel to Ukraine and Fight whenever you want.
There are many many people whose words are completely in sync with yours.
But there are not consequential numbers of people flocking to defend ukraine.
Individuals as well as all other nations have universally come to the same conclusion – though they do not speak that conclusion. That nothing here is important enough to fight for.
No nation has sent it sons and daughters to ukraine.
Most of us would love to see Putin’s nose bloodied.
The real world tests the strength of our convictions by what we are prepared to do rather than what we say.
Something like a third of the Ukrainian population, including men of military age, have fled. Even they don’t see what’s worth fighting for there. But somehow these trolls think that we’re going to risk nuclear war by sending American troops. Right.
“Putin is making a mockery of peace processes.
Putin will never be talked out of launching drones and missiles into Ukraine.
It is insane and futile to think that he ever could be.
Talks are a waste of time.
The war needs to get overwhelmingly kinetic against Russia.
This is the only way to stop the war and get peace.”
World War 3. Great solution. Did you come up with this all by yourself, Einstein?
So why have you not got on a flight to the Ukraine and enlisted in their military? Zelensky passed a bill letting non-Ukrainians to enlist. Zelensky even raised the draft age to 60. Got kids? Get them to enlist in Zelensky’s military and go to the front lines with you to do the fighting yourself. What is the matter? Not willing to put your own skin or that of your sons and daughters on the line? But you expect everyone else to do it for you! Just like all those other NATO countries who wont send their sons and daughters but expect America to send theirs.
I had no problem with the appeals court finding that the judgment was excessive. Given that they found Trump was guilty of the alleged crimes (something Turley omitted), why not reduce the fine to what the appeals court deemed reasonable? Is the message we want to send that there is no penalty for lying and cheating? Maybe it doesn’t work like that and the court had no choice but to throw out the judgment entirely or leave it stand? Those of us not constantly being sued for bad behavior don’t have a feel for these things.
You are conflating the two cases. Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.
I expect both cases will ultimately be thrown out
William – the Court did NOT find Trump “guilty” of anything – first this is a civil case not a criminal one.
There is no issue of guilt.
The court unanimously rejected the financial judgement.
While it was excessive under the 8th amendment, they did not reduce the fine – they eliminated it.
They did so specifically because if there was anything beyond a diminimus fine – then the NYS law that was being prosecuted here was unconstitutional.
Many of these issues have been discussed before prior to and during the trial.
The Law James used to “get Trump” allowed her to do so, in Enmoron’s court and without a jury.
That law is only constitutional if judge enmoron’s remedy is limited. Otherwise the case can not be expedited as James did, and it must go through a full trial with a civil jury using a different statute.
That is the reason the decision to COMPLETELY toss the financial judgement was UNANIMOUS.
This court did not reduce the award – that is the NORMAL remedy for excessive fines in civil case and tends to occur near universally without fail. They completely tossed the financial judgement – because the only alternative would be to toss the case. Again the law being used by James did not allow for a significant financial judgement – if it did it would be unconstitutional.
Further the appelate court did NOT find Trump civilly guilty of anything – the judgement was fractured – unanimous ONLY in tossing the ENTIRE award, but a majority did decide that Enmoron had committed numerous errors during the trial sufficiently large that Trump was at the least entitled to a new trial.
This is being spun as merely a reduction in the judgement – it is not. The judgement is itself one of the numerous lawless actions of Judge enmoron, taken at the direction of AG James.
This case is Dead.
The law being used in the James/Enmoron case was NOT a criminal law, and did not allow for anything beyond a diminimus fine. The law would have been unconstitutional under both NYS and US constitutions – if there had been anything more than a tiny fine. This was discussed at length before and during the Enmoron trial. But James and Enmoron proceeded anyway, and all 5 of the appellate justices vacated the entire financial judgment because the law and constitution CLEARLY required that.
The law that James was using had been tested in NYS prior to the Trump case – and the NYS courts had already found that it was ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL if there was very limited financial remedies.
They did not reduce the fine because that was not a valid legal choice.
Separately 3 of the 5 justices – a majority ruled that Judge Enmoron had committed numerous significan judicial errors during the trial and that the case most be tossed and retried.
The case was a civil fraud case. Ergo – there was no finding of guilt.
When we speak of political “lawfare,” we must remember that this entire case was born in 2019, –started by Democrat activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Michael Cohen. Immediately thereafter, AG Letitia James (who campaigned that she would go after Trump if she were elected), used Cohen’s statements as excuse to open inquiry/investigation under the auspices of “protecting” the NY public at large (clearly timed to prevent Trump’s re-election in 2020).
This entire period of political history (up to and including Trump’s reelection and current tenure) will be forever marred by Democrats’ redundant, retaliatory, and relentless efforts to destroy him. And the breadth and depth are stunning, -from Republican members of Congress being shouted down at town meetings or public restaurants- to Newsom’s redistricting effort. This “death by a thousand cuts” gambit continues to fail, and (just like tenets in “behavior modification” teach us), only results in more escalated and severe attempts, which by now we should all be able to see through.
Two years ago, I stated on this blog that whether you like Trump or not, he does not deserve this. It has turned many Trump-ambivalent voters such as me into persons who have permanently lost all regard and respect for the Democratic Party, left-wing politics, and “progressive” ideology.
Lin,
Great comment!!
Lin – you are conflating the two cases. This case is NOT the Bragg/Merchan/ Daniels/Cohen case.
That too will be dismissed eventually – Both have very similar Flaws.
This was the James/Enmoron property valuation case. This is a civil case that was brought using an NYS law that DOES NOT allow for financial judgements – otherwise the law would be unconstitutional, among other reasons because according to the US constitution a Judge can not impose more than diminimus civil fines. Substantial financial judgements require a jury trial. There are lots of other complicated legal issues – Judge enmoron would not have had jurisdiction if the case was tried using different NYS law and before a jury.
But both cases share the same major flaw – that has not been addressed by this court – but has REPEATEDLY been addressed by the US supreme court – though not YET in these cases.
All Fraud is defined in law as the use of deception to infringe on the PROPERTY RIGHTS of another.
With few exceptions such as perjury “lying” is not a crime, nor is it the basis for a civil judgement.
There are numerous important reasons for that. Government is NOT there to decide what we can say and how we must live. We do not wish to give the power to government – or our neighbors to assess whether we are truthful in our words and if they subjectively deem we are not allow them to confiscate our property.
The power of govenrment to use FORCE against us is legitimate ONLY when it is to remedy an ACTUAL HARM.
Fraud requires MORE than a subjective determination that a person engaged in deceipt – this case is a perfect example of why that can never be sufficient. Enmoron found deceipt even though centuries of common law and all current practice place the burden of due dilligence on the Buyer (or lender) – they do so for very important reasons – Only the buyer (or lender) can KNOW what factors are important to them. There is a fundimental economic principle – that occasionally, such as here shows up in the law.
VALUE IS SUBJECTIVE. You will pay more for a glass of water one a sweltering summer day in a drought, than sitting in the shade beside a bubbling stream.
You can not “lie” about the price of something – because that price is subjective.
You can however lie about the attributes of something. Its size, its condition, etc. and the law for centuries has required that the BUYER verify the attributes of what they are purchasing – particularly real property.
John Say: Respectfully, I am conflating nothing.
I merely stated that Letitia James invoked Cohen congressional testimony (responding to AOC) as a basis for her own launch. I stand by my comment, and looking it up, it is well founded and grounded.
Perhaps you should direct your comment to about a dozen legal/quasi-legal fact-summarizers who would agree with me/disagree with you. I can only link two. thanks.
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/aocs-grilling-of-michael-cohen-was-what-led-to-ny-ags-fraud-case-against-trump-businesses-eric-trump/
https://www.businessinsider.com/aoc-questions-michael-cohen-2019-sparked-ny-ag-trump-lawsuit-2022-9?op=1
lin
You have to understand that is completely pointless posting links to actual facts for John Say.
He prefers to get his information from the voices in his head.
When the voices fail him, he simply makes stuff up.
His long meandering comments drift from disconnected thought to disconnected thought in an incomprehensible diatribe of nonsense that only makes sense to him.
It is worth noting that he never, ever posts a link to a source with actual facts.
No point in arguing with the poor delusional man.
Just pity his inability to recognize reality.
Yeah, let’s post a dozen off topic links to various disreputable left wing blogs. Now that’s smart.
“II. The Attorney General’s investigation.”
“OAG opened this civil investigation in March 2019, after Michael Cohen, a former senior
executive of the Trump Organization, produced to Congress copies of Donald J. Trump’s
financial statements for 2011, 2012, and 2013. See H. Hrg. 116-03 (Feb. 27, 2019), at 38. Mr.
Cohen testified that these statements inflated the values of Mr. Trump’s assets to obtain
favorable terms for loans and insurance coverage, while also deflating the value of other assets to
reduce real estate taxes. See id. at 13, 19, 38-39, 160.”
https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=aFYC64xGRpmdiaGWJvkzBA==
It’s over. Dead. Done. This case is no more. Everyone knows it but you.
Dear Mr. Turley, appreciate your well written article. Again, Leticia James and the Judge were working hand in glove to take down Mr. Trump, his family and business. It didn’t work and Mr. Trump is back in the White House. Honest folks could see this was a set-up from the get-go. I am thankful the Democrats are unable to take our common sense away. They have had their way by demanding any mention of God to be taken out of the public square, redefining women and men, attacking the nuclear family, devaluing our history…I could go on.
Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP has lost 90% of its value.
Melania’s meme coin $Melania has lost 98% of its value.
But never fear fellow MAGA faithful, our glorious leader has made an estimated $320 million in profits.
So what if he has scammed us and conned us out of our investment. We all know that it is for the benefit of MAGA, and we should all be grateful that our glorious leader has graciously allowed us to lose our money for the good of the cause.
Thank you President Trump.
We will be forever grateful.
“Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP has lost 90% of its value.
Melania’s meme coin $Melania has lost 98% of its value.
But never fear fellow MAGA faithful, our glorious leader has made an estimated $320 million in profits.
So what if he has scammed us and conned us out of our investment. We all know that it is for the benefit of MAGA, and we should all be grateful that our glorious leader has graciously allowed us to lose our money for the good of the cause.
Thank you President Trump.
We will be forever grateful.”
Gigi, when you get done with your shift behind the truck stop dumpsters tonight, can you be sure to clean up the lube this time? One of the day workers slipped this morning, and now they’re facing a lawsuit.
It’s not as bad as Trump giving Putin a quickie in the Beast.
Is that what you fantasize about? Maybe you really did need a father in your life.
What possesses a low IQ dolt like Gigi here to waste her pathetic life posting randomly copy and pasted garbage like this? We obviously have a serious shortage of mental wards and psychiatrists.
ATS – you lie whenever you speak. I strongly suspect your claims are false and you have not provided any sources.
Regardless, even that does not matter.
Trump like anyone else – can buy and sell whatever he wants for whatever price he wishes.
Some People by NFT’s as an investment others buy them the same as they buy baseball cards or the jersey of their favorite sports team member.
If you bought a Trump NFT as an investment – assessing the future value of that NFT was on you.
If you bought it as memorabelia – I doubt you are paying any attention to its current market value.
John Say the Stupid
Here are the relevant charts for the Trump family scams.
All time chart for $TRUMP. Down 88%
https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/official-trump
All time chart for $MELANIA. Down 97%.
https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/melania-meme
Investors have lost billions of dollars, while Trump walked away with $320 million in exorbitant fees.
I would further note that I have never, ever seen you post a link to any evidence for the ridiculous claims that you make here.
Instead of wasting your time here, why don’t you apply your investment skills to actually make money? Oh wait, that would assume that you have anything to invest other than your fat mouth.
How did you know that I am an investor ???
I’m just a grumpy old geezer in my mid-seventies.
Got nothing better to do than sit in front of my computer day trading all day.
I am up $62,380 so far today.
I have 3 monitors, and I keep a window open on this miserable blog so that I can occasionally harass you MAGA morons.
I’m on the west coast so my trading day is 6:30 to 1:00 pm.
I get to spend the afternoon on the porch drinking beer and spending more time harassing you idiots with my laptop.
MAGA MAGA MAGA. You couldn’t be more pathetic if you tried. Enjoy your ramen though.
As with anything in a free market, people have free will to buy or not buy something. The only time you get scammed or conned is if you buy into it.
According to this chart, I am not seeing anyone whom has been scammed or conned, https://crypto.com/price/official-trump
Markets go up. Markets go down. The nature of free markets.
NotReallya Farmer.
You are being deliberately obtuse and posting an irrelevant chart that covers only the last 24 hours.
Here is the chart for $TRUMP since its launch
https://www.coinbase.com/price/official-trump
As you will note, the trend is straight down from a high of $74 to today’s price around $9, a drop of 88%.
The drop for $MELANIA is even more dramatic
https://www.coinbase.com/price/melania-meme
Currently trading at 22 cents, down 97%
You correctly observe that markets go up, and markets go down.
However in the case of both of these Trump family scams, the market has gone inexorably DOWN since launch.
NotReallya Farmer
I posted incorrect links.
All time chart for $TRUMP
https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/official-trump
All time chart for $MELANIA
https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/melania-meme
What’s truly hilarious is that you could be doing something useful with your wasted life, but here you are desperately sniping at successful people. You’re just a piece of trash.
Apparently you measure success by the ability to scam and con suckers out of their hard earned money.
isn’t that what the Democrat party does literally every single day?