An appeals court may reduce Trump's million-dollar sentence in New York

A New York appeals court evaluated the judgment forcing Donald Trump to pay $454 million for alleged civil fraud in New York City. The five-judge panel heard both sides and was initially open to reversing or reducing Judge Arthur Engoron's initial judgment.

The aforementioned court granted the appeal filed by Trump's lawyers, who called the ruling as initially "draconian, illegal and unconstitutional".

During oral arguments, at which the presidential candidate was not presiding, his lawyer, John Sauer, argued that the lawsuit overstated New York's consumer protection laws. In turn, he said the case itself "involves a clear cut violation of the statute of limitations."

Should the court not reverse the ruling against Trump, Sauer said, "people won't be able to do business in real estate" without fear.

In an encouraging development for the former president's defense, Judge Peter H. Moulton questioned whether the lawsuit by Letitia James, New York's attorney general, became "something it wasn't meant to do." He added, "The immense penalty in this case is troubling," 

According to Judge Engoron's initial ruling, Trump conspired with executives of the Trump Organization to falsely alter his net worth on key financial statements to obtain tax and insurance benefits.

The Republican was ordered to pay about $454 million in total fines, a figure that breaks down as follows: $355 million in debt restitution and more than $98 million in pre-judgment interest at an annual rate of 9%.

In turn, the debt has increased since then, given that the judge applied daily interest to Trump for each day he goes unpaid.

As for the appeals court's timing, the ruling is expected to come a few days before the November 5 presidential election. However, Trump vowed vowed to fight legally "all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary."