Judge invites E. Jean Carroll to object to Trump's $92M bond payment plan

Judge Lewis Kaplan has invited E. Jean Carroll to object to former President Donald Trump's plan to pay a $92 million bond in the defamation case against him through a third party, reported MSNBC's Katie Phang on Friday.

This comes after the former president sought unsuccessfully for the court to grant a series of delays that would have let him put off posting a bond altogether.

"After 10:30 a.m. today, the defendant filed an application to approve a supersedeas bond in the amount of $91,630,000 and to stay execution on plaintiff's judgment against the defendant pending appeal," wrote Kaplan in a brief order.

"Plaintiff shall file any opposition to the motion, including but not limited to the form, amount or surety of the proposed bond or the proposed order, or her consent to the relief sought by defendant's motion, no later than Monday, March 11, 2024 at 11 a.m."

If Carroll chooses to object, Kaplan wrote, he will hold a hearing on the issue that same day.

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Carroll, a writer, sued Trump for defamation after he claimed that she fabricated her rape allegation against him to advance her career. Juries have awarded $83.3 million to Carroll in damages in the case.

Trump intends to appeal the judgment but had to pay bond before doing that. His reluctance to post bond in the case has led some observers to question whether he had the money.

The money he put up on Friday was secured through an insurance group that's linked to a New York trial that found Trump liable for fraud after he exaggerated the value of his properties to secure favorable loans and insurance.