Fraud Verdict Due to be Released Later This Month

Donald Trump has been getting crushed in the courts as of late, but one of the biggest decisions he awaits will be coming out shortly.

Closing arguments for the New York fraud case brought by Letitia James were heard last month, and we are now learning that the ruling will be out shortly.

Judge Engoron, who has been no friend of Trump, is expected to release his decision toward the middle to end of February.

Big Decision Looms

Trump was just dealt a significant blow in the E. Jean Carroll case, getting popped with an $83 million verdict.

This resulted in Trump announcing that he was starting to interview new attorneys to handle his appeals cases, apparently getting ready to break from Alina Habba as lead counsel.

Habba was also in the first chair for the NY fraud civil case brought by the Attorney General in New York, Letitia James.

The $83 million that Trump will have to pay Carroll is nothing compared to the loss that Trump could face in the fraud case, with James raising her suit to $370 million from the initial $250 million.

Between the two cases, including legal fees, Trump could be out close to a half-billion dollars, which would account for about 20% or so of his entire fortune.

For the ruling, Engoron had initially stated that he wanted to publish his ruling by late January, but he just pushed that back to mid-February, likely looking to ensure his ruling is airtight because he knows Trump will appeal the case as soon as it is over.

I believe Trump is going to lose this case, as I have noted that Engoron appeared to make up his mind long before this case ever hit the courtroom. Habba, however, did not help matters, nor did Trump, violating a gag order on several occasions.

The only good news about this for Trump is that this verdict should not impact his standing with voters in terms of the election.

If he is found guilty of the federal charges he faces, the story is much different, with polling showing that more than 50% of voters will not pull the handle for him if he is convicted or sentenced to jail.