BREAKING: President Trump ordered to pay $354 million in NY civil fraud trial, barred from running business in New York for 3 years

Judge Arthur Engoron has ordered former President Donald Trump and business associates to pay over $364 million in damages in the New York City civil fraud case.  

In addition, Engoron's ruling prohibits Trump, "from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years." 

The case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James had been seeking $370 million in damages from the former president.

James argued in the case that Trump inflated the value of his business entities in the city with real estate pricing and alleged he engaged in a pattern of "repeated and persistent fraud." 

The case, however, according to an Associated Press analysis, is unprecedented in 70 years of case history.  

Released in late January, the report from the AP stated that “taking away Trump's business empire would stand alone under New York fraud law."

Only 12 other cases in the 70-year span of case history the report analyzed had similar punishments levied against a fraudulent business entity. In addition, each of these cases had a victim of fraud who lost money. In the case of Trump, there were no victims, banks were paid back loans, and nobody took on losses.

Adam Leitman Bailey, a New York real estate lawyer, said of the decision, if it were to go through as it has now, "sets a horrible precedent." 

In the decision, Engoron wrote, “Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological.” He continued and said that Trump had engaged in “venial sin.” 

Trump attorney Alina Habba said the verdict was "a manifest injustice — plain and simple."

"Given the grave stakes, we trust that the Appellate Division will overturn this egregious verdict and end this relentless persecution against my clients," she added in a statement.