Trump defamation – An appeals court let Trump delay paying an $83 million defamation award to E. Jean Carroll while the Supreme Court reviews the case.
A major defamation payment to E. Jean Carroll is on hold after an appeals court sided with President Donald Trump’s legal team, effectively sparing him from paying an $83 million judgment—for now.
On Tuesday, a court entry said Trump will not have to pay the defamation award until the U.S.. Supreme Court has an opportunity to review the case or decide whether to reject an appeal.. The decision came from the U.S.. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. which agreed to a request from one of Trump’s lawyers to delay the payment.
The appeals court’s permission to pause the judgment was conditional. Trump was required to post a $7.4 million bond designed to cover any additional interest costs that could accumulate while the case moves forward—an idea that Carroll’s attorney had urged.
The stay followed a separate procedural effort by Trump’s side. Late last month, the 2nd Circuit turned down a request for a rare full-court hearing of the case. That request aimed to revisit an earlier decision by a three-judge panel that upheld the January 2024 verdict.
After that refusal, Trump’s attorney, Justin D.. Smith. asked the appeals court to stop the effect of its ruling so the president would not be forced to pay the judgment before the Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in.. Smith argued last week that there is a “fair prospect” the high court will rule in Trump’s favor.
The underlying dispute centers on allegations Carroll first made publicly in 2019.. Carroll, now 82, said she was sexually attacked by Trump in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in spring 1996.. Trump has denied the allegation and has previously described Carroll’s claims as a “made up scam.”
The $83 million award itself traces back to a jury trial that included Trump testimony.. The jury. after hearing testimony and observing Trump’s behavior during trial proceedings over several days. delivered the $83 million figure connected to both defamation liability and the aftermath of Carroll’s account.
A key element of the trial history is that a jury had previously awarded Carroll $5 million in May 2023.. That earlier finding concluded Trump sexually abused her in the department store and then defamed her after she published her account in a 2019 memoir.. The later proceedings focused on additional consequences tied to that defamation.
When the 2nd Circuit upheld the judgment, it pointed to the way Trump continued to respond to Carroll over time. In its decision, a panel said Trump’s attacks against Carroll persisted for at least five years, becoming “more extreme and frequent as the trial approached.”
The appeals court also highlighted statements made during the trial itself. The panel said that Trump continued defaming Carroll during the proceedings, including a comment issued two days into trial in which Trump proclaimed he would continue the defamation “a thousand times.”
Trump is challenging the $83 million award on multiple grounds. His legal filings argue for “absolute immunity” related to comments he made while president, including statements in which he denied knowing Carroll and attacked the motivations behind her account.
In particular, Trump has asserted that Carroll’s claims were politically driven and that they were tied to efforts to promote her memoir. Those arguments represent the core of what Trump is asking the Supreme Court to consider as the payment pause continues.
Meanwhile. the practical impact of Tuesday’s ruling is clear: even though the defamation award has been affirmed. the court’s stay keeps the financial consequences from taking effect immediately.. The bond requirement. set at $7.4 million. reflects the court’s attempt to balance the delay with protection against potential additional interest costs.
As the case heads toward the Supreme Court. the dispute also underscores how fast-moving defamation litigation can collide with the highest court’s review process.. With the 2nd Circuit already rejecting the request for a full-court hearing. attention now turns to whether the Supreme Court will accept the appeal and how it will approach Trump’s immunity arguments tied to statements made during his presidency.
For Carroll, the pause does not erase the underlying verdict; it postpones the need to collect the judgment. For Trump, it provides breathing room to press legal defenses while the legal system determines whether the affirmed award should ultimately stand—or be altered or undone.
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