Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a temporary stay concerning the $83 million financial obligation imposed on former President Donald Trump in a contentious defamation case. This ruling pauses the enforcement of the judgment while Trump explores additional legal avenues, including potentially appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court’s three-judge panel, comprising Judges Denny Chin, Sarah A. L. Merriam, and Maria Araújo Kahn, made this decision under docket number 24-644.
The court’s order stated, “IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Appellant’s motion to stay the mandate is GRANTED, contingent upon the Appellant increasing the bond by $7,462,492.74 to account for post-judgment interest during any proceedings before the Supreme Court until October 2027. The Appellant must adjust the bond within 21 days and notify the Court within five calendar days thereafter.”
Carroll did not oppose the stay as long as the bond is increased by the specified amount to cover interest during the expected Supreme Court deliberations. The stay particularly addresses the substantial defamation award.
Previously, Trump had posted a bond to secure the judgment throughout the initial appeal; the requested increase will safeguard the judgment should the Supreme Court ultimately choose not to intervene or decide to uphold the lower court’s ruling.
This legal battle stems from Carroll’s 2019 claim that Trump assaulted her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s. Her accusations led to separate defamation claims when Trump publicly denied the allegations while in office and afterward.
The claims have been at the center of considerable scrutiny owing to a lack of corroborating evidence and discrepancies in the details, as well as the political motivations asserted by New York Democrats to push the case forward.
The jury was prevented from considering several pieces of evidence the Trump campaign wished to present, such as an Anderson Cooper interview where Carroll suggested sexual assault can be seen as “sexy.” Her account closely resembles an episode from Law and Order, and she has previously posted a hypothetical scenario involving sex with Trump for money.
Further complicating matters, the Democrat-led New York legislature enacted a law extending the statute of limitations for alleged sexual assault cases. The Adult Survivors Act allows alleged victims to initiate civil suits against their presumed attackers within a brief timeframe, even if they have surpassed the standard statute of limitations.
Ultimately, Trump was ordered to pay the hefty $83 million fine for “defaming” Carroll through his defense, but the appeals process continues.
