In a significant move by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, former President Donald Trump has been granted a reprieve from paying a substantial defamation award of $83 million to E. Jean Carroll, a veteran advice columnist. This decision allows the Supreme Court the opportunity to review or dismiss an appeal on the case.
The appeals court agreed to defer the payment but imposed a stipulation requiring Trump to post a $7.4 million bond. This bond is intended to cover any potential interest costs, aligning with a request from Carroll’s legal team.
Recently, the appeals court declined Trump’s petition for an extraordinary session of the full 2nd Circuit to reconsider a three-judge panel’s affirmation of the January 2024 verdict. Following this, Trump’s attorney, Justin D. Smith, sought a stay on the decision to prevent Trump from being compelled to pay before the Supreme Court’s assessment of an appeal.
Smith expressed confidence, suggesting a “fair prospect” that the Supreme Court might rule in Trump’s favor. Trump has consistently dismissed Carroll’s allegations, which first emerged in 2019, as a “made up scam.”
The hefty $83 million award was decided by a jury that briefly heard from Trump himself and observed his behavior throughout the trial. The 2nd Circuit panel highlighted in their September ruling that Trump’s attacks on Carroll intensified as the trial neared, describing them as “more extreme and frequent.”
“He also continued these same attacks during the trial itself,” the appeals court noted, citing a statement from Trump during the trial where he vowed to defame Carroll “a thousand times.”
The jury’s decision was influenced by findings from a separate jury ruling in May 2023, which awarded Carroll $5 million after concluding that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store and subsequently defamed her following her 2019 memoir publication.
Trump disputes the $83 million award, invoking “absolute immunity” for remarks made during his presidency, and questions Carroll’s motivations, suggesting they were politically motivated or intended to boost her memoir’s sales.
