Former President Donald Trump is arguing that his position of wealth means he shouldn't be required to post bond in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case — and Judge Lewis Kaplan is asking Carroll's attorneys to respond to the claim.
"Mr. Trump has moved for an 'administrative stay' of enforcement pending the filing and disposition of any post-trial motions that he may file. He seeks that relief without posting any security," wrote Kaplan in an order signed over the weekend.
"The Court declines to grant any stay, much less an unsecured stay, without first having afforded plaintiff a meaningful opportunity to be heard."
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Kaplan set February 29 as the deadline for Carroll's attorneys to weigh in, and March 2 as a deadline for Trump to reply to that.
Posting bond is standard in civil judgment cases in which the defendant seeks to appeal the decision, which Trump is planning to do. But according to Above the Law, Trump is arguing to the court that he is so rich that a bond doesn't really constitute a deterrent to his noncompliance, and therefore he shouldn't have to provide one.
“Having argued to the jury that President Trump has great financial resources, Plaintiff is in no position to contradict herself now and contend that she requires the protection of a bond during the brief period while post-trial motions are pending,” Trump wrote in an application for his stay. “This fact nullifies risk to the judgment creditor and weighs heavily in favor of an unsecured stay.”
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Trump's argument, however, stands in contrast to the fact that, by his own estimation, he only has about $400 million in liquid assets, which is less than what he owes combined from the Carroll case, for which he got hit with $83.3 million in damages, and the New York civil fraud case which hit him with $355 million.
The E. Jean Carroll case centered on the former president's claims that Carroll fabricated allegations he raped her in a Manhattan department store.
A previous jury had already awarded $5 million to Carroll for a separate defamation claim, as well as for sexual abuse.
