- E. Jean Carroll's lawyers have asked President Trump to pay him $83.3 million in a defamation judgment against him.
- Trump asked the judge whether he could appeal without posting bail or posting bail.
- Carroll's lawyer says he needs to prove he has the money to pay.
Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll will appeal Thursday, asking a federal judge to deny former President Donald Trump's efforts to avoid paying an $83.3 million jury verdict against him. In such cases, he said, he should be forced to post money or obtain bail. Case.
A jury found in January that Trump owed Carroll $83.3 million for defamation by calling her a liar after he accused her of sexual abuse. Earlier this month, Trump's lawyers asked for an “unsecured stay” so they could continue the case in post-trial motions without giving Carroll any money and appeal to the courts.
Carroll's lawyers called the request “a paper napkin equivalent of a court filing” and said they could not accept Trump's word that he would ultimately pay Carroll. Mr. Trump is also struggling to pay a separate $454 million judgment in a civil fraud case brought against his company by the New York state attorney general, which he is also appealing.
“He's been accused of everything from a $500 million judgment obtained by the New York state attorney general to 91 felonies that could have permanently ended his career as a businessman,” said Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney. “They are not aware of the risks associated with their current financial situation.” he wrote in Thursday's filing. “He is simply asking the court to 'trust me' and offering the court the equivalent of a paper napkin signed by the most unreliable borrower in a case that resulted in an $83.3 million judgment against him.” is.”
In May 2023, another jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll and awarded her $5 million in damages. After the incident, Trump deposited funds into a court-controlled account while he appealed the case. If he loses his appeal, the money will go to Carroll.
Trump could also obtain bail, which essentially means he could post assets as collateral from a third-party company to promise to pay the judgment.
Mr. Trump appears to be facing financial difficulties when running for president in 2024, but he wants to maintain his funding and continue his appeal. This week, his lawyers asked the New York State Court of Appeals to accept $100 million bail in his civil fraud case, but an appellate judge denied the request.
Kaplan wrote Thursday that there is no legal basis for Trump not to pay his sentence or post bail.
“He does not cite a single dominant (or persuasive) case in support of his position,” Kaplan wrote. “Instead, he gestures to a small number of cases in scattered out-of-court district courts, most of which were decided in the 'last century,' as today's teenagers would say. ”
Carroll, 80, says she wants to use the money for “things that President Trump doesn't like.”
Mr. Kaplan wrote that Mr. Trump should be required to fully account for his finances, given that Mr. Trump frequently lied about his finances as proven in the company's civil fraud trial. Ta.
“He knows what assets he owns, what they are worth, where they are located, whether they are liquid or illiquid, whether he has any debts, etc. or whether it could be used to satisfy a sentence, Kaplan wrote. “He has shown no evidence of any other debts he may currently owe or may incur in the coming months.”
Kaplan argued that given President Trump's upcoming legal threats, including a criminal trial in New York next month, he can't just take his word for it.
Trump's lawyers have not yet responded to the motion filed Thursday.
“He has presented no evidence that these assets are readily collectible and will remain readily collectable throughout the pendency of the appeal,” Kaplan wrote. “And he has said nothing about how developments in his own life, including active criminal proceedings and campaign activities, will affect these issues.”
