Former President Donald Trump has requested the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn close to $1 million in penalties imposed on him and his legal representatives. These sanctions were issued after a judge concluded that his legal action against Hillary Clinton and various other parties was unfounded.
In a legal brief submitted on Tuesday, Trump’s attorneys contended that the sanctions, which followed the 2022 dismissal of the lawsuit against Clinton and the 2023 order for sanctions, were unjust. They argued that these penalties infringed upon due process rights and constituted judicial overreach.
The appeal criticized the district court’s decision, stating, “The district court erred significantly and overstepped its boundaries by determining that the Appellants had acted maliciously, resulting in the imposition of nearly $1 million in sanctions under its inherent authority.”
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, appointed by Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton’s husband and former President, imposed sanctions exceeding $900,000 on Trump and his attorneys in January 2023, citing a “persistent pattern” of misusing the judiciary.
Middlebrooks had stated, “This lawsuit was baseless from its inception, clearly lacking any legal merit. It’s apparent no well-founded legal professional would have pursued it. Crafted for political ends, the complaint failed to articulate any legitimate legal grievances.”
These sanctions were a consequence of Middlebrooks’ decision to dismiss Trump’s 2022 lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, his rival in the 2016 election, and other defendants. Trump had accused them of engaging in a deliberate plot to tarnish his image and meddle with his presidential campaign by spreading falsehoods.
He alleged this “conspiracy” aimed to undermine his personal and political life, with the ultimate goal of influencing the 2016 Presidential Election in favor of Hillary Clinton.
Middlebrooks, in his 2022 verdict to discard Trump’s legal challenge against Clinton, remarked that Trump’s intentions were not to address any legal wrongs.
“Rather, his objective appears to be to broadcast a lengthy political declaration of his complaints against his adversaries. This Court is not the proper venue for such endeavors,” the judge concluded.
