Donald Trump received some unexpectedly good news from an appellate court on Monday, reports the New York Times: Instead of having to come up with nearly $500 million for a bond in his civil fraud case, the former president must instead post a significantly smaller bond of $175 million within 10 days. The newspaper reports that Trump insiders say he should be able to do so. Without that ruling, Trump faced the prospect of having property and other assets seized starting Monday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, notes the Washington Post, which calls the ruling a "significant win" for the former president.
Trump continues to appeal his loss in the civil fraud case, but the judge in that trial refused to defer his financial penalty while the appeal played out in the courts. And Trump's lawyers say they've been unable to find any company willing to underwrite the larger bond of more than $450 million. Assuming Trump is able to post the smaller bond, James would be unable to start enforcing the judgment against him while the appeal continues. (More Donald Trump stories.)