Piper Paid: Trump Posts $91M Appeal Bond in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

Well, one question has been answered in terms of how former President Donald Trump intends to proceed regarding the multiple civil verdicts he's been socked with in recent months: As to the $83 million E. Jean Carroll defamation verdict, Trump intends to proceed with the appeal.

Trump's legal team had asked for forbearance on the award until after post-trial motions are heard, but on Thursday, Judge Lewis Kaplan denied that request, which meant that Trump was required to post a bond or assets as collateral by Monday.

It appears that Trump and his team anticipated that ruling because by Friday morning, the bond had been posted.

Former President Donald Trump posted nearly $92 million for his bond in the defamation case regarding accuser E. Jean Carroll.
A federal court in New York received notice of the bond and Trump's appeal on Friday morning.
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If Trump wins his appeal, the money will be returned to him. If the appeal process fails, the money will be used in the $83 million payout.
The bond value is higher than the total damages due to a requirement for 110% of the judgment value to be posted during the appeal process.
Federal Insurance Company — based in Chesapeake, Virginia — provided the bond money, according to documents signed by the former president.

Carroll was awarded $83.3 million by a federal New York jury in January.

This was the initial defamation suit Carroll filed against Trump in relation to comments he made in 2019 denying her accusations that he sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Because Trump was president at the time of those statements, his legal team had raised an immunity defense, which was denied by the trial judge and then appealed

The second defamation suit, arising out of statements Trump made in 2022, after his presidency, resulted in a $5 million verdict in May of 2023. That case is also on appeal.

The next big question is whether/how Trump will procure an adequate bond in order to proceed with his appeal of the $454 million judgment he is facing in the civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. A New York appellate judge recently ruled that he would have to put up the full amount in order to proceed, though the judge did temporarily stay the trial court ruling prohibiting Trump from applying for loans from New York lending institutions.