Donald Trump's lawyers told a New York appellate court Monday that it's impossible for him to post a bond covering the full amount of his $454 million civil fraud judgment while he appeals. The former president's lawyers wrote in a court filing that "obtaining an appeal bond in the full amount" of the judgment "is not possible under the circumstances presented." With interest, Trump owes $456.8 million. In all, he and co-defendants including his company and top executives owe $467.3 million, reports the AP. To obtain a bond, they would be required to post collateral worth $557 million, Trump's lawyers said. A state appeals court judge ruled last month that Trump must post a bond covering the full amount to pause enforcement of the judgment, which is to begin on March 25.
Trump is asking a full panel of the state's intermediate appellate court to stay the judgment while he appeals. His lawyers previously proposed posting a $100 million bond, but appeals court judge Anil Singh rejected that. A real estate broker enlisted by Trump to assist in obtaining a bond wrote in an affidavit filed with the court that few bonding companies will consider issuing a bond of the size required.
The remaining bonding companies will not "accept hard assets such as real estate as collateral," but "will only accept cash or cash equivalents (such as marketable securities)." "A bond of this size is rarely, if ever, seen. In the unusual circumstance that a bond of this size is issued, it is provided to the largest public companies in the world, not to individuals or privately held businesses," the broker, Gary Giulietti, wrote. (More Trump indictments stories.)
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