An Unexpected Twist; Appeal Yes, but No Cash or Bond
Trump filed a notice of appeal today in the NY civil fraud case, in which the lower court found Trump liable for fraud and ordered him to pay $455 million in damages. While Trump's appeal was expected, the unexpected twist is he filed this notice without posting cash or bond. So, technically, Trump has not yet appealed. He only filed a notice of his intent to do so. Either way (notice of appeal or actual appeal without cash or bond), the effect is the same.
Posting cash or bond with an appeal would give Trump an automatic stay. That would keep the lower-court judgment from being enforced until the outcome of the appeal is known. That could take months if not a year or more. But if Trump appeals without posting cash or bond, NY AG James can move to enforce the judgement (seize Trump's assets) as soon as March 26, 2024.
A big question before was, does Trump have the money to post cash, or can he get a bond? It appears the answer is no.
Trump may yet post cash or bond, but for now it appears Trump is too broke or too leveraged to secure a stay by posting cash or bond. At present, it appears he cannot even find people to lend him the money or provide the bond he needs to secure a stay.