How Court Rulings Threaten to Dent Trump’s Fortune and Empire

Judgments in the court cases against Donald Trump have threatened to put a dent in his wealth and his business empire, while fighting the suits is draining his war chest for legal fees. In two major civil cases in New York, Donald Trump has been ordered to make payments that could eat up much if not all of the cash the billionaire has on hand. In addition, the former president has been barred from running businesses in New York state for three years. While the judgments are a blow to a politician whose persona is tied up with financial success and wealth, a bigger challenge to his aim of retaking the presidency in November would be an adverse verdict in any of the four criminal cases he faces.

On Feb. 16, a court ordered Trump, his adult sons, and his real estate company to return $364 million plus tens of millions of dollars in interest in illegal profits in a civil suit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The judge in the case had already ruled that Trump was liable for fraud for inflating the value of many of his assets to banks to get better terms on loans. In the new verdict, the judge barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of a New York company for three years and imposed a similar punishment, for two years, on his sons.