'Trump can't escape this': Legal expert says ex-president may file for personal bankruptcy

To cobble together enough funds to square away the nearly $454 million Trump owes — among his options are he either can pay it, find a benefactor, or he may possibly be forced to declare bankruptcy.

But whatever he does, he can't dodge it.

"It could also prompt him to file for personal bankruptcy because, again, in this order Donald Trump and the business entities that were found liable, are jointly and severally liable," said former litigator Lisa Rubin while being interviewed on MSNBC's "Alex Wagner Tonight." "That means that any one of them can be liable for the whole of the judgment attributed to them and that also means that Donald Trump can't escape this just by plunging those business entities themselves into bankruptcy, because that would leave him individually on the hook for the totality of it."

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"The only way to escape it all together would be to file for personal bankruptcy, which would place an automatic stay on further litigation, including judgment execution."

The stunning sum handed down by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron Feb. 16 mandates that former President Donald Trump pay damages after losing his fight in a sprawling civil fraud case.

Engoron determined that Trump inflated his assets to secure sweetheart deals and loans as he as he expanded his real estate portfolio and starred in a television series.

Trump has continued to portray himself as being persecuted and vowed to appeal.

Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the civil case against the 45th president, explained that she would seek to seize some of the former president’s coveted assets if he’s unable to foot the bill.

Notably, Trump is forbidden from securing any monies from financial institutions that are registered or chartered in New York State.

But Rubin said that still left "lots of financial institutions the probably fall outside of that" and she noted that includes "wealthy individuals" and "even foreign countries" who could be inclined to supply Trump with a bailout.

It also may be hard to know if anybody steps in with a bag.

"I asked the Attorney General's office early this week, 'Would we know, as the public, who loans Trump this money to him? Would you even know, as the Attorney General's office?' And I believe the answer was, 'We are not clear on that.'"

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