New York court throws out $527 million penalty in Trump civil fraud caseNew Foto - New York court throws out $527 million penalty in Trump civil fraud case

A panel of justices on a New York appellate court threw out the half-billion-dollar penalty in the civil fraud case against President Trump and others on Thursday, ruling that the fine was "excessive" while saying they were divided on the merits of the case. One of the justices on the Appellate Division, First Judicial Departmentwrotethat the penalty, known as a disgorgement, against Mr. Trump, two of his sons and other executives and their company was "an excessive fine barred by the Eighth Amendment." In February 2024, a New York judgeorderedMr. Trump and his codefendants to pay the state nearly $364 million in "ill-gotten gains" and millions more in interest dating back years, a total that has since ballooned to about $527 million. Judge Arthur Engoron's judgment left Mr. Trump on the hook for nearly 98% of the total. New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Thursday that her office will appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. Her statement lauded one aspect of the ruling, which left in place sanctions barring Mr. Trump from serving as an officer or director of any corporation or other legal entity in the state for three years. His sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., were banned for two years. "The court upheld the injunctive relief we won, limiting Donald Trump and the Trump Organization officers' ability to do business in New York. It should not be lost to history: yet another court has ruled that the president violated the law, and that our case has merit," James said. Mr. Trump hailed the decision in apost on Truth Social, claiming "TOTAL VICTORY," despite the limited nature of the ruling. "I greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was hurting Business all throughout New York State," Mr. Trump wrote. James first brought the case in 2022, alleging Mr. Trump oversaw a scheme to deliberately mislead companies he was in business with about the values of properties and Mr. Trump's overall net worth. Mr. Trump's lawyers have long argued that the civil case was driven by politics. But Engoron disagreed, ruling in February 2024 that Trump and his codefendants had misrepresented his wealth and inflated the valuations of his properties by hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of a decade. The state said the scheme was intended to trick banks and insurers into offering more favorable deal terms. The president appealed the judgment, and the five-justice appellate panel heard arguments in September 2024. At least two of the justicesseemed skepticalof the size of the judgment. One called it "immense" and "troubling." Mr. Trump was represented during the September proceeding by D. John Sauer, who is now the solicitor general. The court's ruling In a complex323-pageseries of opinions on Thursday, the justices wrote that they were deeply divided, with two saying a new trial should be ordered and one writing that the case should be tossed altogether. A majority of four justices settled on an alternate path: vacating the massive financial penalty without resolving the merits of the case. The penalty, as one wrote, "was far from a reasonable approximation" of the amount that was warranted. Justice David Friedman, who dissented from the majority, noted that two of the four justices who voted to vacate the penalty "do not actually agree with the resolution of the appeal for which they are voting." "I find it remarkable that, although a three-justice majority of this five-justice panel believe that the judgment in favor of the Attorney General should not stand … the result of the appeal is the affirmance of the judgment, albeit as modified to eliminate the disgorgement award," Friedman wrote. "To draw a sports analogy, it is as if a team is awarded a touchdown without crossing the goal line," he continued. Justices John Higgitt and Llinét Rosado said they would have preferred to order a new trial, but would join the majority "with great reluctance." "Under the truly extraordinary circumstances here, where none of the writings enjoys the support of a majority, we are moved to take this action to permit this panel to arrive at a decision and to permit the parties and the Court to avoid the necessity of reargument," they wrote. "We must therefore agree with Justice Friedman in his observation that a remarkable situation has necessitated a remarkable solution." The appellate court typically issues decisions within a few months of arguments, but the intricacy of the legal issues at hand seems to have delayed a final ruling. Sources on both sides of the dispute expressed surprise to CBS News about the length of the wait for a resolution, as the seasons changed and the court drew closer to a year without word from the court. James' office has defended the punishment, saying it accurately reflected the size of Mr. Trump's profits from fraud. Engoron wrote in his ruling that documents in evidence prove "over and over again" that the defendants falsely inflated Mr. Trump's wealth and reported those fraudulent numbers to business partners. He said Mr. Trump's "complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological," and said his company gave their accountants "blatantly false financial data." Despite overturning the judgment, the appellate panel concluded that Engoron "was even-handed at trial, and allowed both sides to 'make their case.'" Mr. Trump testified during a bench trial in the case,in November 2023, blaming his employees and others while also insisting his books were kept appropriately. Accused of falsely inflating his wealth, Mr. Trump claimed the opposite was true, saying his company "underestimated" the value of his properties. "The numbers you are talking about here is, you know, they are very big numbers, very, very big. Far bigger — the values are far bigger than what is on the financial statement," Mr. Trump said, later adding, "billions of dollars more." Engoron concluded that testimony by Mr. Trump, his sons and other Trump Organization executives was not credible. A majority of the appellate panel agreed with that determination, as well as another related to Mr. Trump's former lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen, who testified against Mr. Trump. "We defer to the court's findings that the testimony of President Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, Jeffrey McConney and Allen Weisselberg were not credible, and that the testimony of Michael Cohen was credible," the court said. Unsealed video shows TikTok employees' concerns about its impact on teens Hurricane Erin bringing coastal flooding to New York as it churns off East Coast Energy prices climbing twice as fast as inflation in U.S.

New York court throws out $527 million penalty in Trump civil fraud case

New York court throws out $527 million penalty in Trump civil fraud case A panel of justices on a New York appellate court threw out the hal...
Charbroiled steak, anyone? Tractor trailer fire grills 20 tons of ribeye on highwayNew Foto - Charbroiled steak, anyone? Tractor trailer fire grills 20 tons of ribeye on highway

If you enjoy aribeye steakcooked well done, an incident that occurred earlier this week may leave your mouth watering. Atractor trailercarrying 20 tons of ribeye caught fire on the side of a highway inMissourion Aug. 18, officials said. The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District said in a statement on social media that it responded to reports of a tractor trailer fire on Route 174 eastbound. Officials said the trailer was packed with 40,000 pounds of ribeye steaks, which were a total loss. Officials did not specify what caused the tractor trailer to catch fire; however, they said it is their eighth vehicle in the last three weeks. Both eastbound lanes were temporarily shut down while crews put out the blaze, and no injuries were reported.

Charbroiled steak, anyone? Tractor trailer fire grills 20 tons of ribeye on highway

Charbroiled steak, anyone? Tractor trailer fire grills 20 tons of ribeye on highway If you enjoy aribeye steakcooked well done, an incident ...
Privacy and civil rights groups urge US colleges to end campus surveillance to protect protestersNew Foto - Privacy and civil rights groups urge US colleges to end campus surveillance to protect protesters

NEW YORK (AP) — A coalition of more than 30 privacy and civil rights groups called on U.S. universities Thursday to dismantle campus surveillance and data collection, to protectstudent protestersand others from government retaliation. The demands, issued in a letter sent to leaders of 60 major universities and colleges, come as PresidentDonald Trumphaspressed schoolsto crack down on alleged antisemitism and take a harder line on demonstrations. But the groups said it is essential that universities resist that pressure, including threats to millions of dollars infederal research grants, to preserve the academic freedom and rights to expression of their students, faculty and others. "We are open-eyed to the financial pressure that all campuses are under," said Golnaz Fakhimi, legal director for Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group that has counseled students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests and which joined in signing the letter. "But we think this is the moment for all campuses to hunker down" and hold the line against government interference. In their letter, the groups called on university leaders to refuse to cooperate with law enforcement agencies seeking to surveil, detain or deport students, and demanded they do more to secure and delete sensitive data. The letter also asked that schools reject restrictions on masks worn by some student protesters to conceal their identities, work to prevent doxxing and dismantle campus surveillance systems. "Without immediate action, surveillance tools and the data they amass will be used to supercharge the virulent attacks on campus communities," says the letter, coordinated by the group Fight for the Future. It was signed by 32 groups, including Amnesty International USA, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Several colleges introduced newsecurity measuresand protest guidelines following a wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests in spring 2024. The letter was sent to leaders of 60 schools, including Yale, the University of Michigan and Columbia, which last month agreed in a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to restorefederal research moneythat was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus. "Surveillance does not make a university safer," said Will Owen of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, which also signed the letter. "It chills free speech, endangers students who speak out against injustice and it's really essential for campuses to protect their communities from the threat." ___

Privacy and civil rights groups urge US colleges to end campus surveillance to protect protesters

Privacy and civil rights groups urge US colleges to end campus surveillance to protect protesters NEW YORK (AP) — A coalition of more than 3...
Mila Kunis Reveals What She's 'Not Supposed To Say' About Training For 'Black Swan'New Foto - Mila Kunis Reveals What She's 'Not Supposed To Say' About Training For 'Black Swan'

Mila Kunisknows what you're not supposed to say about preparing for a movie, but she's going to say it anyway. The actoropened up to Vogue magazineabout the intense time she spent training for the Darren Aronofsky film, "Black Swan," for a retrospective piece in honor of the 15th anniversary of the movie. "My prep was a lot of dancing and very little eating — which I know you're not supposed to say, but it's the truth. I drank a lot of broth and danced for 12 hours a day," Kunis told Vogue. "We were only supposed to have three months of prep before filming started, but we lost some financing, so that got extended to six months while Darren tried to find money," she added. "It sucked for Darren, but Nat and I were so happy because we had three extra months to dance." Related:Dua Lipa Explains Why That Sheer White Dress She Wore To A Wedding Wasn't Actually Offensive Natalie Portman, who played the lead in "Black Swan," previously opened up about her rigorous preparationin an interview with Vogue back in 2010, the same year the film was released. "The dance training for 'Black Swan' started a year before the film, with two hours a day," she said at the time. "Six months later we ramped it up to five hours a day, and the last two months it was eight hours a day, because we added choreography and cross training, so I was also swimming a mile a day." "The discipline was good for the part — it hurt a lot; your body is in constant pain," Portman said, as the magazine added that the actor, "like most dancers, she survived on coffee and ibuprofen, and slept five hours a night." While both Portman and Kunis were exerting themselves physically to the extreme, Aronofsky was also trying ― unsuccessfully ― to play mind games with the two. "My take is that I was trying to be a sneaky director and make them argue," the director shared with Vogue. "Mila and Natalie both realized very quickly what I was doing and made fun of me, so it quickly became a joke that we all understood," he added. "They're both very clever and were instantly privy to whatever trick I was playing." Mila Kunis Says She 'Fell In Love' With Being Jewish After Meeting Ashton Kutcher Ashton Kutcher And Mila Kunis' Kids Make Rare Appearance With Their Parents Shannen Doherty Explains How Her Beef With 'Charmed' Co-Star Alyssa Milano Began Read the original on HuffPost

Mila Kunis Reveals What She's 'Not Supposed To Say' About Training For 'Black Swan'

Mila Kunis Reveals What She's 'Not Supposed To Say' About Training For 'Black Swan' Mila Kunisknows what you're not ...
Millie Bobby Brown and Husband Jake Bongiovi Welcome First Baby TogetherNew Foto - Millie Bobby Brown and Husband Jake Bongiovi Welcome First Baby Together

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Millie Bobby Brownis a mom! TheStranger Thingsstar, 21, and her husbandJake Bongiovi, 23, have welcomed their first baby together via adoption, announcing the news onInstagram. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The pair — who sparked romance rumors in June 2021 when Bongiovi shared a selfie with the actress — first connected through Instagram. They "were friends for a bit" before they started dating, the actress toldWiredin 2022. The couple then secretly married in May 2024. In October, the couple posted photos on Instagram from their celebration at Villa Cetinale in Italy with family and friends. "Forever and always, your wife," the actress captionedthe carousel, which featured photos from their nuptials and Brown's two stunning bridal gowns. Bongiovi also shared his ownset of imageson Instagram from the couple's special day. "Forever and always, your husband," he captioned photos of the newlyweds. In his carousel, the couple can be seen exchanging vows under white floral arch. In other photos, the pair smiles in front of rows of tall trees. Bongiovi also shared a shot with his dad Jon Bon Jovi. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobbybrown) This past March, Brown opened up about growing her family with Bongiovi while appearing on an episode of theSmartlesspodcast. At the time, the actress said she'sreally looking forwardto becoming a mom. "My mom actually had her first child at 21, and my dad was 19. And you know, it's been my thing since before I met Jake," Brown said. "Since I was a baby, I told my mom, like, baby dolls. I wanted to be a mom just like the way my mom was to me." "And my nan, my grandmother is, she was a huge part of my life. And so, yeah, I mean, Jake knows how important it is to me and, of course, I want to focus on really establishing myself as an actor and as a producer, but I also find it's so important to start a family for me personally," she went on. "It's a huge thing. Jake was like, we cannot do that until we get married. So that was his thing." TheElectric Statestar went on to say that she and her husband are planning on having a big family since they both come from families with four kids. "And my thing was, I really want a family. I really want a big family," Brown shared. "I'm one of four. He's one of four. So, it is definitely in our future, but, for me, I don't see having your own child, you know, as really any different as in adopting." Later that month, Brown said "loved" the experience of shaving her head so much, she wants to do it again — specifically whenshe becomes a new mom. "I always tell Jake for my first baby, I wanna shave my hair off," Brown said on an appearance on the theCall Her Daddypodcast. "I don't know. I just feel like it was really liberating. Would suggest it for anyone, any girl." When Cooper pushed to confirm that Brown would actually shave her head for her first baby, the actress explained why she wants to — and when she'd do it. "Maybe like right before I'm about to give birth. Because I just think hair is such an ordeal anyway to deal with," Brown noted, saying she just wants to "nurture" her baby. "Why deal with my hair? I think it's such a liberating experience, like to be a woman is, and I felt like I had that experience as a girl, but I'd like to have that experience as a woman." Read the original article onPeople

Millie Bobby Brown and Husband Jake Bongiovi Welcome First Baby Together

Millie Bobby Brown and Husband Jake Bongiovi Welcome First Baby Together Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Millie Bobby Brownis a mom! TheStranger T...
"A Man on the Inside" season 2 first look shows Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen adorably playing love interests

Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Ted Dansonis on the case again inA Man on the Insideseason 2 — and he's not alone. In March, it was revealed that Danson would be joined by his wife, Academy Award and Golden Globe winnerMary Steenburgen, in the second season of the acclaimed Netflix comedy, but her role was kept largely under wraps at the time. Now, in the first sneak peek at the new season, above and below, the curtain is being peeled back. From the looks of it, the real-life couple — who celebrate their 30th anniversary in October — will be playing an adorable onscreen one. Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix To recap, season 1 followed Charles (Danson), a retired man who gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad from a private investigator and becomes a mole in a secret investigation in a nursing home. In season 2, he gets his next case, when a mysterious blackmailer targets the president of Wheeler College, Jack Berenger (Max Greenfield), who enlists Charles to go undercover this time around as a professor. Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Per the official synopsis: "Who's making these threats? Does it have something to do with the iconoclastic billionaire Brad Vinick (Gary Cole), a Wheeler graduate, and his proposed donation to the school? Charles finds no shortage of possible suspects, but his attention gets diverted by free-spirited music teacher Mona (Steenburgen), whose zest for life awakens feelings he thought he'd buried after the passing of his wife. Is he ready to open his heart again at this stage in his life? And more importantly, has he fallen for the very criminal he's been sent to unmask?" Oh là là! Also in season 2, Netflix teases that Charles' daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) is inspired by the changes she's seen in her dad, and uncovers a long-ignored passion of her own, while PI Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) is also back, and embarks on her own journey of growth as she reconnects with an important figure from her past. Courtesy of Netflix The first look photos also confirm that Charles hasn't completely left the nursing home and the friends he made there in season 1 behind.Stephanie Beatriz's Didi, the managing director of Pacific View Retirement Community, is shown, as is Stephen McKinley Henderson, who plays Charles' bestie, Calbert. Courtesy of Netflix Michaela Conlin, Lisa Gilroy, Madison Hu, Sam Huntington, Jason Mantzoukas, Constance Marie, Linda Park, David Strathairn, and Jill Talley also star in season 2. From creatorMichael Schur,A Man on the Insideis based on the documentaryThe Mole Agent, a 2021 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary feature. In addition toA Man on the Inside, Steenburgen and Danson have previously starred together on several other occasions, including inMr. Mayor,The Good Place,Pontiac Moon,Gulliver's Travels,andCurb Your Enthusiasm. Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Schur (Fremulon), Morgan Sackett, David Miner (3 Arts Entertainment), Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibañez (Micromundo Producciones), and Julie Goldman and Christopher Clements (Motto Pictures) executive produce the series. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio. All eight episodes of the new season ofA Man on the Insidehit Netflix Nov. 20. See more first look images below. Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

“A Man on the Inside” season 2 first look shows Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen adorably playing love interests

"A Man on the Inside" season 2 first look shows Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen adorably playing love interests Colleen E. Hayes/N...

 

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