Trump’s appeal hearing on New York $454 million civil fraud judgment has started

 The appellate hearing for Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss the $454 million fraud judgment against him has started.

Trump attorney John Sauer is presenting first, followed by Judith Vale, the Deputy Solicitor General for the New York Attorney General.

The hearing is expected to last about 30 minutes with each side allotted approximately 15 minutes for their arguments.

Trump’s lawyers are seeking to overturn the $454 million judgment levied by state Judge Arthur Engoron in February, who found that Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his business liable for fraud, as well as issuing false financial statements and false business records.

More on the case: The judgment against Trump was for $354 million, with an additional $100 million in interest that had accrued when the judge’s ruling was issued in February. The interest is still accruing at a rate of nearly $112,000 per day while Trump appeals, and the amount had surpassed $478 million as of Thursday, according to a person familiar with the judgment.

Trump’s attorneys will also address Judge Arthur Engoron’s sanctions against them, which were handed down in September 2023 for repeatedly making legal arguments against the New York attorney general’s lawsuit that were already denied by the judge.