Trump celebrates 'total victory' over Letitia James after NY court throws out $515M fraud penalty

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: President Donald Trump hailed a major win after a New York appeals court overturned a massive fraud penalty against him and his family on Thursday, August 21.

The ruling struck down a $515 million judgment, with judges declaring it “excessive” and unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment.

Trump says case's judgment was hurting business throughout New York 

The president linked the court’s decision to broader impacts on the state’s economy, saying businesses were afraid to operate under the previous judgment.

"TOTAL VICTORY in the FAKE New York State Attorney General Letitia James Case! I greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was hurting Business all throughout New York State," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added, "Others were afraid to do business there. The amount, including Interest and Penalties, was over $550 Million Dollars. It was a Political Witch Hunt, in a business sense, the likes of which no one has ever seen before." 

Trump says fraud trial was 'rigged' without a jury

Donald Trump argued that the trial process was unfair, pointing to the lack of a jury and claiming that not a single ruling favored him throughout the proceedings.

"This was a Case of Election Interference by the City and State trying to show, illegally, that I did things that were wrong when, in fact, everything I did was absolutely CORRECT and, even, PERFECT," Trump further wrote in the Truth Social post.

He added, "Every single Dollar was thrown out, even the penalties imposed on us by the Corrupt Judge, one of the most overturned in History, Arthur Engoron."

The commnader-in-chief continued, "I wasn't given a Jury and, during the course of the Trial, which lasted a long time, was not given one Ruling in my favor by this Political Hack, but worse than him, if that's possible, was Letitia James, a Corrupt and Incompetent Attorney General who only brought this Case in order to hurt me politically."

"She is a Trump Deranged Lunatic! They made me bond the outrageous sum, which never happened before, and which cost me Millions of Dollars a month," Trump claimed. 

Letitia James insists fraud ruling still stands despite setback

New York Attorney General Letitia James responded by stressing that, despite the appeals court overturning the penalty, the underlying fraud findings remain intact. She made clear that her office will keep pressing the case at the highest level.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, "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," James added.

Donald Trump Jr also celebrated online, posting on X, "Massive Win!!! New York Appeals Court has just THROWN OUT President Trump's $500+ Million civil fraud penalty!"

He added, "It was always a witch hunt, election interference, and a total miscarriage of justice... and even a left leaning NY appeals court agrees! NO MORE LAWFARE!"

In another post, Don Jr mocked James by referencing her 2024 X post, where she shared the penalty amount as "$464,576,230.62," and wrote, "I believe you mean $0.00 Thank you for your attention to this matter."