A federal appeals court ruled this week that President Donald Trump does not have to pay author E. Jean Carroll $83 million in defamation damages until the Supreme Court reconsiders the case or decides to prosecute.
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New York’s 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals issued the order on Monday after President Trump asked to suspend an earlier ruling that denied him an opportunity to challenge the defamation ruling on appeal.
The court granted Trump’s request to suspend the sentence, saying there was no objection from Carroll as long as Trump agreed to raise a $7.46 million bond to account for interest accruing on her award during future legal proceedings expected to reach the Supreme Court.
“We are pleased that the Second Circuit has granted an injunction to President Trump to set his bail at approximately $100 million,” Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, told NBC News in a statement, noting that prior to Monday’s order, Trump had already offered an increase in bail that exceeded $91 million.
Representatives for Mr. Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night’s appeals court ruling.
Trump’s lawyers are seeking to invoke federal law to remove him as a defendant and force the U.S. government to take his place. If successful, the measure would effectively nullify Carroll’s lawsuit, since the federal government cannot sue for defamation. An appeals court last month denied a request to hear that argument.
A jury sided with Carroll in 2024, agreeing with her claim that Trump defamed her when he repeatedly denied sexually abusing her backstage in the 1990s.
President Trump has already asked the Supreme Court to consider an appeal of the $5 million defamation suit against him that Carroll won, and is seeking to take the case to the Supreme Court.
