Appeals Court Stays $83.3M Judgment Against Trump

A federal appeals court has temporarily halted enforcement of an $83.3 million defamation judgment against President Donald Trump in favor of writer E. Jean Carroll, pending a potential review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York granted Trump's request for a stay on Monday, pausing collection efforts on the January 2024 jury verdict. The ruling came after the full appeals court last month declined to rehear the case en banc, leaving Trump to seek relief from the Supreme Court. The court imposed a condition that Trump increase his existing bond by $7.46 million to cover post-judgment interest that could accrue through October 2027, bringing the total security close to $100 million. Carroll's attorneys did not oppose the delay provided the bond was adjusted.

The judgment stems from two related civil trials in Manhattan federal court. In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s and defaming her by denying the allegations, awarding her $5 million. A second jury in January 2024 ordered the additional $83.3 million for defamation based on Trump's subsequent public...