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Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers have been fighting to have his civil fraud settlement reduced, and it appears at least one appeals court judge may be receptive to the idea.

Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump liable for business fraud in February, ordering the business mogul and former president to pay an eye-popping $454 million. D. John Sauer, an attorney working on behalf of Trump, argued before a five-judge panel on a Manhattan appeals court on Thursday that state Attorney General Letitia James’s action in this case stretched the boundaries of consumer protection laws. He claimed that there were “no victims” in the case, as the lenders or insurers had “no complaints” about the practice and the entire case was “a clear-cut violation of the statute of limitations.”

He cautioned that people wouldn’t be able to confidently “do business in real estate” if the verdict is not overturned.

Three of the five jurists must agree in order for the ruling to be altered, and they are expected to rule prior to the November 5 presidential election.

While it’s currently unclear whether they will side with Trump’s team or not, Judge Peter Moulton has reportedly questioned whether James’s lawsuit has become “something it was not meant to do.” He also said the “immense penalty in this case is troubling.”

If the appeals court judges issue a ruling against Trump, he is entitled to appeal it to the Supreme Court of the United States, and could likely be waiting until 2026 or later to receive a ruling which is something he has vowed to do in the past.

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