Donald Trump’s legal debts might now exceed a half-billion dollars
A New York judge ordered Trump and his companies Friday to pay $355 million in fines, plus interest, after ruling that he had manipulated his net worth in financial statements.
The stiff penalty comes just weeks after Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll for damaging her reputation after she accused him of sexual assault. A separate jury last year awarded Carroll $5 million from Trump for sexual abuse and defamation.
Add interest payments on top of that and the judgments could deal a staggering blow to the personal fortune that remains core to Trump’s political appeal. He has adamantly denied wrongdoing and pledged to appeal, a process that could take months or even years.
In the meantime, here’s what we know about what Trump owes, whether he’ll have to pay up, and what comes next:
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He’s already paid the $5 million ruling for raping e jean Carroll, and is still on the hook for defamation and now business fraud, but there’s no difference in his liability for any of these three cases.
He’s already paid one, he should pay the rest.