Judge Approves Trump's $92 Million Bond in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan has approved former President Donald Trump's $92 million bond in the defamation case brought by columnist E. Jean Carroll.

This approval, granted following an order filed on Tuesday afternoon, temporarily halts the execution of the judgment while Trump pursues an appeal. Should Trump's appeal prove unsuccessful, the bond guarantees Carroll's collection on the judgment.

Trump Secures $91.6M Appeals Bond for Defamation Case Judgment

Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over former United States President Donald Trump's Washington, D.C., criminal case, acknowledged that the trial could be delayed deep into 2024.
(Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The former president had obtained an appeals bond from the Federal Insurance Company totaling $91,630,000 to cover the $83 million judgment in the case plus interest, according to court filings.

The conditions of the bond did not specify what assets Trump used to secure the bond. Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, expressed confidence in their appeal, stating to ABC News that they believe it will result in the judgment being overturned.

Trump is still appealing a $5 million judgment awarded to Carroll last May after a jury determined he had sexually abused her.

In January, Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million in damages to Carroll for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her allegation that he sexually abused her in the 1990s. Trump has denied all wrongdoing, claiming Carroll was "totally lying."

The bond approval allows Trump to continue fighting the defamation judgment while preventing Carroll from taking immediate steps to enforce it.

Carroll did not oppose Trump's bond application after his lawyers agreed to make one change to the conditions.

Trump's Legal Team Challenges Defamation Judgment

Trump's legal team is seeking to get the recent judgment tossed entirely or at least reduced, arguing that the jury's awarded amount is excessive. They have also questioned the causal link between Carroll's alleged harms and Trump's statements.

Trump on Saturday reiterated his denial of Carroll's accusations at a campaign rally in Georgia, prompting Carroll's legal team to suggest the possibility of a third defamation lawsuit if Trump persists in discrediting her claims.

"I could say things about what it would cost normally," Trump said at the campaign rally. "$91 million, based on false accusations made about me by a woman that I knew nothing about. Didn't know, never heard of, I know nothing about her. She wrote a book, she said things, and when I denied it, I said, it's so crazy it's false, I got sued for defamation."

The approval of the bond marks a significant step in the legal saga between Trump and Carroll, which has garnered significant attention since Carroll first made her allegations public in 2019.

Trump posted the bond just before reaching an early-week deadline, preventing collection actions by Carroll. The former president also recently faced a New York civil fraud loss exceeding $450 million, with ongoing interest accrual.