Here are 5 'key' reasons Trump’s business may be devastated: legal expert

On Tuesday, September 26 in New York State, Justice Arthur F. Engoron handed down a ruling in State Attorney General Letitia James' civil fraud case against the Trump Organization. Engoron agreed that former President Donald Trump's company had seriously inflated the value of his real estate assets, and he sanctioned some of Trump's attorneys.

In a listicle published by the conservative website The Bulwark on September 28, law professor and former federal prosecutor Kimberly Wehle offers "five key" takeaways from the judge's "dizzying" ruling — which, she argues, could be devastating for the company.

Wehle's takeaways are: (1) "The decision could mean the end of the Trump business empire — and could possibly even spell personal bankruptcy for the former president," (2) "Because this single charge requires no proof regarding Trump's thinking, he could not raise any defenses relating to his state of mind," (3) "The court resoundingly rejected Trump's argument that the banks, investors, and insurance companies to whom he lied still made money, so he couldn’t have broken the law," (4) "Because the numbers are so staggering and the evidence solid, the chances that Trump would score a major win on appeal are slim," and (5) "Trump's lawyers engaged in egregious and unethical misconduct, for which the judge ordered them to pay monetary sanctions."

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Engoron's ruling comes at a time when Trump is facing four criminal indictments yet remains the clear frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.

"Making matters far worse for Trump is that this case is being decided in its entirety by the judge, not a jury — and a judge who clearly has Trump's number," Wehle explains. "The reason for this is, apparently, that his counsel failed to make a request on time for a jury trial, thereby waiving the jury trial right…. What is utterly baffling is that people keep throwing themselves on a pyre for the sake of a man who clearly has nothing but contempt for the rule of law — and in all likelihood, for them, too, one day."

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Kimberly Wehle's full article for The Bulwark is available at this link.