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Story · February 14, 2023

New York appeals court keeps Trump on the hook in subpoena fight

By The Daily Fuckup Newsroom · From the February 14, 2023 edition

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Correction: An earlier version misstated the posture of the case. The Feb. 14 ruling upheld a civil contempt sanction in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil investigation; it did not end the broader subpoena dispute.

A New York appeals court gave Donald Trump no relief on Feb. 14, 2023, affirming a civil contempt ruling that ordered him to pay $110,000 to the state attorney general’s office for refusing to fully comply with subpoenas in the office’s financial investigation. The Appellate Division, First Department said the lower court properly found Trump in contempt and properly imposed a daily sanction to push compliance. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-general-james-statement-decision-uphold-donald-trump-contempt-order))

The ruling did not end the broader fight. It kept alive a legal case that had already moved through months of failed compliance disputes, with a lower court finding in April 2022 that Trump had not met the subpoena demands tied to the attorney general’s inquiry into his financial dealings. The appellate panel said the contempt finding and the financial penalty were both appropriate under the circumstances. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-general-james-statement-decision-uphold-donald-trump-contempt-order))

This was separate from the criminal tax case involving the Trump Organization, which produced its own sentencing weeks earlier. On Feb. 14, the news was narrower and more direct: Trump lost again in the subpoena battle, and the court left the contempt sanction in place. ([ag.ny.gov](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-general-james-statement-decision-uphold-donald-trump-contempt-order))

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