NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s appeal bond in the defamation lawsuit filed by advice columnist E. Jean Carroll was approved on Tuesday by a federal judge. The bond, totaling approximately $91 million, will allow Trump to continue challenging the $83.3 million judgment he was ordered to pay in January for defaming Carroll. The judge’s approval of the bond prevents Carroll from taking further action to enforce the judgment.
Carroll, a longtime Elle columnist, accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in 2019. A jury found Trump liable for the abuse in a previous trial. In response to the recent verdict, Trump has initiated an appeal and has filed a motion requesting a new trial. Initially, Trump attempted to proceed without posting a bond or reducing the amount, but eventually posted the full bond amount after his delay attempts were denied by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the litigation.
The bond amount of $91.63 million is 110 percent of the judgment, which is a common practice. Trump’s lawyers are aiming to have the judgment completely overturned or at least reduced, arguing that the jury’s ordered amount is excessive. They have also claimed that Carroll cannot establish a causal link between the harm she allegedly suffered and Trump’s statements, and that the judge unfairly limited the scope of Trump’s testimony.
Throughout the post-trial proceedings, Trump has continued to publicly criticize Carroll as well as the judge. He recently spoke out against the advice columnist at a Georgia campaign rally, reiterating his denials of the allegations against him. In an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Trump further maintained that he had never even met Carroll.
Carroll’s lawyers opposed Trump’s request for a delay in posting the bond, casting doubt on his ability to pay given his recent civil fraud judgment of over $450 million and his ongoing criminal cases. The details of the bond, including the cash or collateral required from Trump, remain undisclosed.
Trump’s bond approval allows him to challenge the defamation judgment while halting any attempts by Carroll to enforce it. Moving forward, the legal battles following the trial will determine the fate of the multimillion-dollar judgment against the former president.