By FOX TV Digital Staff
NEW YORK – Donald Trump has posted bond that will allow him to appeal an $83.3-million jury award granted to writer E. Jean Carroll during a January defamation trial stemming from rape claims she made against the former president.
Alina Habba, Trump’s attorney, filed papers with the New York judge on Friday to show that Trump had secured a $91.6-million bond from the Federal Insurance Co. She simultaneously filed a notice of appeal to show Trump is appealing the verdict to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
If Trump wins that appeal, the money will be returned to him. If the appeal process fails, the money will be used in the payout.
The filing comes one day after Judge Lewis Kaplan refused to delay a Monday bond deadline to ensure that Carroll can collect the $83.3 million if it remains intact following appeals.
“Mr. Trump’s current situation is a result of his own dilatory actions,” Kaplan wrote, adding that “he has had since January 26 to organize his finances with the knowledge that he might need to bond this judgment, yet he waited until 25 days after the jury verdict.”
A federal jury in New York City decided last year that Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
Carroll, who alleged that Trump raped her at the Bergdorf Goodman department store across from Trump Tower in Manhattan sometime in 1996, was seeking $12 million.
Trump, the 2024 GOP front-runner, has repeatedly and vehemently denied the allegation. His denial resulted in Carroll slapping Trump with a defamation lawsuit, claiming his response caused harm to her reputation.
Trump is facing financial pressure to set aside money to cover both the judgment in the Carroll case and an even bigger one in a lawsuit in which he was found liable for lying about his wealth in financial statements given to banks.
A separate judge recently refused to halt collection of that $454-million civil fraud penalty while Trump appeals. He now has until March 25 to either pay up or buy a bond covering the full amount. In the meantime, interest on that judgment continues to mount, adding roughly $112,000 each day.
Source: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/trump-posts-bond-e-jean-carroll-judgment-appeal
