Trump Posts $92 Million Bond for E. Jean Carroll Judgement

Donald Trump owes a lot of money in New York — including the state itself — after being found liable in multiple civil trials in Manhattan Court. He really, really, really, doesn’t want to pay up. On Friday, the former president posted a $91.6 million bond in order to appeal the ruling against him in a civil defamation case brought against him by author E. Jean Carroll. 

In January, Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $83.3 million after being found liable for repeatedly defaming Carroll in the aftermath of a separate civil lawsuit alleging the former president had sexually assaulted the writer in the early ‘90s. 

Friday’s bond is a good deal larger than the ordered damages, but only because the court requires an appealing party to post 110 percent of the owed amount in order to halt the enforcement of the ruling pending an appeal. 

The bond was guaranteed by the insurance company Chubb. Notably Evan Greenberg, the CEO of the company, was a Trump appointee in his administration and served on the former president’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

While massive civil liabilities of this nature are already a first for a former president, it’s by no means the last bond Trump may need to post if he hopes to reduce his debts. Last month, Trump offered to post a $100 million bond in an attempt to stay the enforcement of a separate civil fraud case that found him liable for $454 million in damages to the state of New York.

Trump’s attorneys complained that “in the absence of a stay on the terms herein outlined, [Trump’s] properties would likely need to be sold to raise capital.” The offer — less than a quarter of what he owes — was rejected by Judge Anil Singh. The judge told Trump that he must post the full amount required by the court if he wanted to enter an appeal.