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Donald Trump needs to pay just $175 million to put his $454 million civil fraud judgment on hold during his appeal, a New York court ruled Monday, alleviating some of the financial pressure on the former president.
But Trump still faces legal headwinds on many fronts: On Monday, a judge overseeing a separate, criminal case involving a hush-money payment to a porn star ordered for the trial to start on April 15.
While Trump only needs to pay a fraction of the civil judgment for now, he could still be on the hook for the full amount if he loses his appeal.
The last-minute reprieve came on the day that New York Attorney General Letitia James could start enforcing the judgment. James, a Democrat, had brought the case against Trump, accusing him of falsely valuing parts of his real estate empire.
Trump’s legal team had said it was virtually impossible to secure a bond to cover the whole amount. He said Monday in a post on his social-media site Truth Social that he would either post a bond or pay cash to cover the $175 million. He has 10 days to pony up the money.
The appellate-court ruling was vindication that the judge who imposed the $454 million judgment was wrong, Trump said. “I did nothing wrong, and New York should never be put in a position like this again,” he said.
In its one-page order, the appeals court also put on hold other penalties, including bars on lending and Trump, along with sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., serving in leadership roles at the company. The court said the Trumps’ appeal needed to be ready for the court’s September session.
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