E. Jean Carroll expresses ‘very serious concerns’ Trump won’t pay $83M judgment

Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll expressed “very serious concerns” Thursday that she won’t be able to collect the $83 million from former President Trump that a jury awarded in Carroll’s defamation lawsuit last month, citing Trump’s various legal woes. 

“He simply asks the Court to ‘trust me’ and offers, in a case with an $83.3 million judgment against him, the court filing equivalent of a paper napkin; signed by the least trustworthy of borrowers,” Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, wrote in court papers. 

The new filing responds to Trump’s demand that his trial judge delay enforcing the eight-figure sum as the former president attempts to get the verdict reduced or eliminated entirely in post-trial motions. In the alternative, Trump asked the judge to allow him to post bond in a “substantially reduced amount.” 

Opposing those demands, Carroll pointed to the more than $454 million judgment in Trump’s civil fraud case, which only grows in interest each day it’s left unpaid.  

“To begin, recent developments give rise to very serious concerns about Trump’s cash position and the feasibility (and ease) of collecting on the judgment in this case,” Carroll’s lawyers wrote. 

Trump on Wednesday offered to post a $100 million bond in the fraud case while he appeals, writing in court filings that the eye-popping judgment made it “impossible” to secure a bond in the full amount. 

Former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, right, leaves federal court with her lawyer Roberta Kaplan, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in New York. Donald Trump’s lawyer sought Thursday to pick apart a decades-old rape claim against the former president, questioning why accuser E. Jean Carroll did not scream or seek help when Trump allegedly attacked her in a department store.(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

A New York judge in the trial court’s appellate division ruled that enforcement of the multimillion-dollar judgment would not be paused unless Trump could post a complete bond but did pause the enforcement of two penalties regarding the former president’s ability to seek loans and serve in top leadership positions of his and other New York companies.  

If Trump posts the full judgment, the financial penalties will be immediately paused. If he doesn’t, under the Wednesday ruling, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) can begin to collect the full amount — a process that could mean selling famed properties or other assets.  

A federal jury in New York awarded Carroll the $83.3 million after Trump was ruled to have defamed the advice columnist by denying her sexual assault claims in 2019, when Carroll came forward publicly. 

Trump has insisted that Carroll made up the story to sell her book. A separate jury last year found Trump liable for sexual abuse. 

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The Hill has reached out to Trump’s legal team for comment.

Trump’s net worth is famously obscure, but estimators like Forbes and Bloomberg have placed his wealth between $2.6 billion and $3.1 billion. In a deposition with James’s office last year, Trump said he has “substantially in excess of $400 million in cash.”  

But between the $454 million judgment in the fraud case and the $83.3 million verdict in Carroll’s case, it’s unclear the former president has the cash to pay up. 

Carroll on Thursday also noted the 91 charges across four criminal cases that could “end his career as a businessman permanently.” 

Trump’s first criminal trial over a hush money deal during the 2016 election is scheduled to begin next month in New York. He also faces federal prosecutions in Washington, D.C., for alleged election interference and in Florida for his purported mishandling of classified documents, plus charges in Georgia he interfered in the state’s election.  

“Moreover, by the time the post-trial motions (or the appeal) are fully resolved, Trump may be in a very different position,” Carroll’s lawyers wrote. 

“He could then be President of the United States; he could then be a convicted criminal serving time behind bars; or, given his advanced age, Carroll may be forced to reckon with his estate. Any of these developments could substantially complicate collection efforts here.”