New York registers judgment against Trump in Westchester as possible seizures loom

FILE PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally on March 2 in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Jay Paul/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York state Attorney General Letitia James this month registered judgments against former U.S. President Donald Trump in Westchester County, where he owns property, according to county clerk records.

Trump faces a Monday deadline to post a bond covering a $454 million civil judgment against him for overstating the value of his real estate properties to dupe investors and lenders, or risk state authorities seizing his assets while he appeals.

James registered judgments in Westchester against Trump, the Trump Organization, and two of his adult children on March 6. The registrations were reported earlier on Thursday by Bloomberg News.

Trump has said on social media that he could be forced to sell assets at potentially “fire sale prices” to post bond in the case. He is the Republican candidate challenging Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 U.S. election.

Westchester is home to the Trump Organization’s Seven Spring’s estate, which the company describes on its website as a 50,000 square foot mansion surrounded by nature preserves.

Trump’s lawyers have previously said in court filings that 30 surety companies that would have guaranteed the bond have turned him down. Bonds are typically backed up with a mix of cash and assets equal to 110% of the total judgment and are returned if the defendant prevails on appeal.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)