A federal appeals court paused an $83 million defamation payment to E. Jean Carroll while Trump’s case heads to the Supreme Court or returns to further appeals.

A federal appeals court has temporarily halted President Donald Trump from paying an $83 million defamation award to writer E. Jean Carroll, setting the decision on hold while the Supreme Court weighs whether to take up the dispute.

In an order issued Monday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled that Trump does not have to pay the award until the Supreme Court either reviews the case or decides to pass on it. The stay is tied to ongoing legal steps that are expected to continue through the high court.

The pause came after Trump asked the appeals court to stop the effect of an earlier ruling that had denied him the chance to challenge the defamation award before the full appeals court.. Granting that request. the panel explained that there was no objection from Carroll as long as Trump increased the bond by $7.46 million to cover interest that would accrue on the award during additional proceedings.

The bond condition was substantial: Carroll’s attorney. Roberta Kaplan. said her team was pleased with the decision and described it as a near-$100 million bond requirement.. Kaplan’s statement also noted that Trump had already increased the amount he posted earlier. bringing the figure owed into the range of more than $91 million prior to Monday’s order.

Trump’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday night.

At the center of the broader fight is a push by Trump’s legal team to use a federal statute to change who can be sued.. Trump’s attorneys have sought to swap him out as the defendant so that the U.S.. government would take his place.. If successful, the move could effectively end Carroll’s defamation case because the federal government cannot be sued for defamation.

The appeals court previously rejected a request for a hearing on that argument last month, leaving the statute-based bid unresolved as the case continues. With Monday’s stay in effect, the timeline for any final decision appears to shift toward the Supreme Court’s consideration.

Carroll’s case dates to a jury verdict in 2024. A jury found in her favor, agreeing with her claims that Trump defamed her when he repeatedly denied that he sexually abused her in a dressing room in the 1990s. The $83 million award at issue in the current appeal reflects that outcome.

Separately, Trump has also been seeking Supreme Court involvement in another defamation dispute. The president has asked the Supreme Court to consider his appeal in a separate $5 million defamation lawsuit in which Carroll had previously won.

Legal experts note that stays like this often aim to prevent a party from being forced to pay while higher courts resolve whether the underlying judgment can be challenged or narrowed.. In practical terms. the bond arrangement is designed to preserve the money at stake. while also ensuring that any interest that may build during further litigation is accounted for.

For Carroll. the pause delays access to the award but also keeps the case moving through the appellate and high-court process rather than ending abruptly at the trial stage.. For Trump. the stay buys time to pursue procedural arguments. including the bid to shift the case away from him personally—an approach that. if it ultimately succeeded. could reshape the entire path of the litigation.

The Supreme Court step is likely to be a pivotal moment, not only because it could determine whether the defamation judgment stands, but also because it could influence how courts treat attempts to change the defendant in suits involving presidents and federal legal frameworks.

Meanwhile. the ongoing litigation underscores how quickly defamation fights involving public figures can escalate from jury verdicts into multi-layered appellate battles. particularly when one side seeks high-court review and the other tries to preserve the practical effect of a verdict through bond-backed stays.

E. Jean Carroll Trump defamation Second Circuit Supreme Court $83 million award bond stay appeals court