(LibertySons.org) – A New York judge has rejected a request by former president Donald Trump for relief in his defamation case. Trump had wanted the court to delay the deadline for posting a bond for the massive damages awarded to E. Jean Carroll, while he appeals the award. Now, it looks like any chance of relief has been blocked.
Trump Appeals Damages
In January, a New York jury awarded journalist E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages against Trump after an earlier trial found him guilty of defaming her. The award includes $65 million in punitive damages. The former president’s legal team has appealed the judgment and says they’re optimistic it will be reduced or eliminated.
In the meantime, Trump still has to post a bond to cover the payout if it isn’t reduced, and the date for that was March 11, the day the judgment becomes final. His lawyers had filed a request for relief that would have delayed the bond deadline until after Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on their application to suspend the award, arguing that preparing a bond would impose “substantial costs” on Trump.
On March 7, Judge Kaplan refused that request. Justifying his decision, he said Trump’s lawyers hadn’t made it soon enough, waiting 25 days after the deadline was set. He also said legal expenses don’t constitute “irreparable injury,” and added that Trump hadn’t shown what costs he would incur by posting a bond.
Legal Costs Mount Up
The damages against Trump go back to allegations that he sexually assaulted Carroll in a New York department store almost 30 years ago. Carroll first made this accusation in 2019, and Trump dismissed it as false. However, a jury ruled that he had sexually assaulted her, and when he continued to deny it Carroll sued him for defamation.
The huge damages award comes on top of an even larger fine imposed by another New York court on fraud charges, which hit Trump with a $354 million penalty. In total, he now owes the state over $450 million, and interest is pushing that up by almost $90,000 a day.
Although Trump is a wealthy businessman, finding that amount of money is still a challenge, especially when he’s trying to run a presidential campaign at the same time. His campaign funding is now lagging behind President Biden’s, and his growing legal fees aren’t going to help.
Judge Kaplan seems to be taking a hard line on relief. Trump has now posted the bond required in the Carroll case, and his lawyers aren’t revealing the details of what they plan to do next.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
Copyright 2024, LibertySons.org
