Last week, Donald Trump submitted a request to the court requesting an exemption from posting bond in the defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll, according to Above the Law. Following a jury verdict of $83 million against him, Trump’s primary argument for an exemption was his considerable wealth.
Trump’s lawyers, after spending nearly a month contemplation, stated that due to the substantial wealth of their defendant, there was no need for him to put up the money.
Judge Lewis Kaplan was unimpressed with this line of reasoning. He allowed Carroll to weigh in on the matter. She put forth a heated opposition in response. Carroll criticized Trump for asking the court to trust his word about his ability to pay in the case of a verdict against him, without showing any concrete representations about his assets.
Furthermore, Trump’s suggestion that the public interest would be served by avoiding further financial burdens was also refuted by Carroll, who argued that the defendant was trying to reverse the intended purpose of Rule 62(b), which does not allow exceptions for former presidents or wealthy individuals.
Trump’s ability to pay the judgment, according to Carroll, is anything but clear. Given half a billion dollars in judgments already looming between the Carroll and the State of New York, plus 91 felony counts in four different courts, his financial situation is hardly straightforward. In Carroll’s view, Trump’s attempt to trust his word on his finances, in light of a recent verdict finding him responsible for massive financial fraud, is not convincing.
Carroll and her legal team argue there is no reason to believe that Trump has enough readily available cash to render a supersedeas bond superfluous and cautioned about the potential harm and risk for Carroll in having to navigate the uncertain landscape of Trump’s finances and assets.
The case, Carroll v. Trump, is one to watch as it continues to unfold.