Many of us appalled by former President Donald Trump’s lifetime of dishonesty may take schadenfreude in the massive financial judgments now threatening his business empire — but the sizes of those judgments, and the bonds pertaining to them, are utterly unwarranted.
Appeals courts should grant temporary injunctions to halt the bond collections and delay enforcement of the underlying penalties.
Two judgments are at issue, but one is particularly pressing. The first judgment, that Trump defamed E. Jean Carroll, who courts found had credibly accused him of sexual assault, came with an $83 million assessment against Trump. The second judgment assessed $355 million in penalties against Trump and his associates for fraudulently claiming tax and insurance benefits. This amount, plus interest, led to
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