Trump is heading back to court: $454 million civil fraud appeal to be argued in New York

Former President Donald Trump may not face any more criminal trials before Election Day, but he will get to have another day in court on Sept. 26, when a New York appeals court will hear his argument for overturning a $454 million judgment against him for misleading lenders.

The Manhattan-based appeals court scheduled the arguments for that day, giving Trump the chance to rebut trial Judge Arthur Engoron's conclusion that he fraudulently inflated the value of his assets to secure better loan and insurance terms.

Spokespeople for Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James' office didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Engoron held Trump and certain Trump entities liable for $454 million, plus interest that continues to grow. Engoron also imposed about $10 million in separate liability against Trump's two oldest sons, Eric and Don Jr., and former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg.

In his appeal, the Republican presidential nominee's lawyers are arguing that James missed the deadline to bring the case against him. They also say he didn't violate the New York fraud statute at issue because the financial statements containing valuations of his assets included disclaimers and, if there were incorrect valuations, they didn't hurt anyone.

The appeals court has helped Trump once before in the case: it allowed him and his co-defendants to post a bond of just $175 million, rather than the full judgment, in order to prevent James from seizing Trump's assets while his appeal plays out.

Trump's lawyers recently tried – and failed – to get Engoron removed from the case based on a conversation the judge had with another lawyer about the fraud statute, which they said violated a rule restricting judicial consultations with experts. Engoron said he was "accosted" by the other lawyer and didn't base any of his rulings on the exchange.

Even though the case is on appeal, Engoron continues to have jurisdiction because he imposed ongoing restrictions on the defendants, including having an independent monitor continue overseeing the Trump Organization.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump appeal arguments set for $454 million civil fraud case