The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday granted a temporary stay of a mandate that required former President Donald Trump to pay approximately $83 million to E. Jean Carroll in connection with a highly controversial defamation lawsuit. The order halts enforcement of the judgment while Trump pursues further appellate review, including a potential petition for a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The three-judge panel, consisting of Circuit Judges Denny Chin, Sarah A. L. Merriam, and Maria Araújo Kahn, issued the order in docket number 24-644.
“IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Appellant’s motion to stay the mandate is GRANTED, subject to the condition that the Appellant increase the bond posted by $7,462,492.74 to account for the post-judgment interest that would accrue during any proceedings before the Supreme Court through October 2027. Appellant must increase the bond within 21 days of the date of this order, with notice to be provided to the Court within five calendar days of that happening,” the court’s opinion reads.
Carroll did not oppose the motion for the stay, provided that Trump increase the existing bond by the specified amount to cover accrued interest during the anticipated Supreme Court proceedings. The stay applies specifically to the $83 million defamation award.
Trump had previously posted a bond to secure the judgment during the initial appeal; the additional sum ensures the judgment amount remains protected if the Supreme Court ultimately declines review or upholds the lower court’s decision.
The underlying litigation originated from Carroll’s 2019 public accusation that Trump raped her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City during the 1990s. Carroll filed separate legal claims alleging defamation based on Trump’s public statements denying the accusations while he was in office and after leaving office.
Carroll’s accusations have long generated controversy due to lack of evidence, inconsistent details, and the political maneuvers used by New York Democrats to allow the case to go forward.
The jury was not allowed to hear numerous pieces of evidence cited by the Trump campaign, including an interview with Anderson Cooper in which Carroll claimed that sexual assault is “sexy.” Her story almost identically matches an episode of Law And Order and she once posted a hypothetical about having sex with Trump for money.
In addition to the questionable facts of the case, the Democrat-controlled New York legislature passed a law that expanded the statute of limitations for alleged sexual assault crimes. The Adult Survivors Act allowed alleged victims to file civil suits against their alleged attackers within a short window of time, even if the state’s statute of limitations on the claim had expired.
Trump was ultimately ordered to pay the $83 million fine for “defaming” Carroll by defending himself in the case, though the appeals process is ongoing.
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