Because the judge in former President Donald Trump's civil trial in New York ruled the Trump Organization committed fraud in overvaluing its assets, what remains is how much Trump will have to pay, former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano told Newsmax on Wednesday.
Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million and an order prohibiting the Trump family from doing business in New York. Trump, along with his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., have steadfastly denied they did anything wrong.
In late September, Judge Arthur Engoron issued a summary judgment that Trump persistently committed fraud by inflating the value of his assets and stripped the former president of control over some of his signature New York properties. Engoron wrote that the annual financial statements that Trump submitted to banks and insurance companies "clearly contain fraudulent valuations that defendants used in business."
"The trial is not about 'did they do it,'" Napolitano told "American Agenda." "The trial is about how much money did they earn as a result of having done it. Whatever that number is, the government is going to ask the court to force the Trump Organization to extract it, plus more for punitive damages if they can find that any of the acts that the participants engaged in were criminal."
On Wednesday, Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka Trump testified she initially was named in the lawsuit before a state appeals court dismissed her from the case in June, saying she was not involved in any conduct over which James could sue. She testified for the prosecution after she lost a court fight to prevent her from taking the stand. Her testimony is expected to continue Thursday before the prosecution rests its case.
"A couple of issues before the judge: How much money did they earn above what they should have earned had they not engaged in the fraud – in his own mind, there was fraud," Napolitano said. "And did any of the things that they did constitute crimes, which would allow the government to ask for punitive damages, money to punish the Trump family and punish the Trump Organization over and above the money that's going to be extracted that the court says they illicitly earned."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE -- See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.