You don’t think the case is malicious prosecution? Queen Letitia campaigned on taking down Trump. There are no realtors in South Florida that I have heard say that the Mara Lago valuation was unreasonable on the Trump paperwork so the charges seem to be malicious.
“You don’t think the case is malicious prosecution? Queen Letitia campaigned on taking down Trump. There are no realtors in South Florida that I have heard say that the Mara Lago valuation was unreasonable on the Trump paperwork so the charges seem to be malicious.”
I haven’t read Justice Engoron’s decision, let alone the lengthy trial record. Here’s the impression I have from the media, so take it with a grain of salt. Or several.
1. Engoron’s criticism of Trump’s valuation of Mar-a-Lago was that Trump’s statements valued it as if there were no restrictions on its use. At one point, however, Trump had agreed to restrictions on use plus a conservation easement. Engoron found that it was fraudulent for Trump to use valuations that ignored these facts.
2. There were many issues besides Mar-a-Lago. The one I’ve seen mentioned most often is that Trump’s statements asserted that his penthouse apartment in Trump Tower, which he owned, had 30,000 square feet, but it actually had only 10,000.
3. On the appeal, the “no-harm” argument is a loser. So are the arguments about political motive and White House involvement. Trump’s best argument is that he can’t be punished personally for mistakes his subordinates made. There was conflicting evidence about the extent of his involvement.
4. To win a case of malicious prosecution, Trump would have to show much more than that he eventually won (even assuming he does). According to the excerpt in the OP, he would have to show that Letitia James “had no reasonable grounds to file and pursue the underlying case.” My guess is that all this financial stuff is complicated enough that, even if Trump eventually wins, he couldn’t meet that higher standard. Even an honest red-state jury would say that each side had at least SOME reasonable grounds. I’ll also guess that Trump would have to sue in blue New York. Note that a court has just ruled that an officer of the government of Florida (DeSantis) can’t be sued in Massachusetts for acts done in his official capacity in Florida (ordering the migrant transfer).
What you and I think of the case is irrelevant. I’m just making a prediction about what the courts will actually do.