Trump posts nearly $92 million bond in E. Jean Carroll defamation case

Former President Donald Trump has posted a $91.63 million bond as he appeals the judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.

The notice of Trump’s bond and appeal was made with the federal court in New York on March 8, CNN reports.

In January, a federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages as a result of Trump’s defamatory statements denying he raped her, saying she wasn’t his type, and accusing her of making up the allegation to boost sales of her book. Carroll will not collect the award during the appeal.

Insurance company Chubb underwrote the bond for Trump, which the former president signed on Tuesday. Under the terms of the bond, Chubb will only secure the appeal of the $83.3 million judgment, not any future appeals.

The bond size is greater than the judgment because the district court generally requires a party to post 110 per cent of the bond.

In a statement, a Chubb spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of Trump’s bond.

“As a matter of policy, we do not comment on client-specific information,” the spokesperson said. “Our surety division provides appeal bonds in the normal course of business. These bonds are an ordinary and important part of the American justice system, protecting the rights of both defendants and plaintiffs.”

Trump also faces a March 25 deadline to put up another $454 million in the New York attorney general’s civil fraud case.

In Carroll’s case, Trump has argued that the jury award is excessive and should be reduced. During the trial, Carroll’s lawyers told the jury that Trump should be punished with a large number in damages so that it actually gets him to stop his defamatory behavior.

In addition to those two judgments against him, Trump is also facing mounting legal fees he owes on the four criminal trials he’s facing as he campaigns for another presidential term.