The decision eases some of the financial pressure on the presumptive Republican nominee for president, whose famed properties and bank accounts could have been fair game for New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) had he not been able to pay the original bond.
The five-judge appeals panel paused the enforcement of that judgment on Monday, provided Trump and his co-defendants post the new, significantly smaller bond within 10 days.
Trump said Monday that he would “abide by the decision” and pay the $175 million by posting a “bond, equivalent securities or cash.”
This is the latest legal decision to go Trump’s way as he mounts his challenge to President Biden. A slew of legal fights have slid further and further, to the point where several cases against him may not come before a court ahead of Election Day.
At the same time, Trump also saw a split decision Monday when a separate court ruled it would hear charges against him in a hush money case that kicks off April 15.
But the civil fraud bond ruling remains a pivotal victory for the former president. The decision came down hours before the deadline to pay the original $464 million bond arrived.
Had Trump not been able to pay up, James could have begun to seize his assets, bringing financial peril and personal shame upon the former president.
The Hill’s Ella Lee has more here.
