U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan declined a request to grant a stay after a jury ordered Donald Trump to pay writer E. Jean Carroll over $83 million for defamation.
"Twenty-five days after the jury verdict in this case, and only shortly before the expiration of Rule 62's automatic stay of enforcement of the judgment," Kaplan noted. "Mr. Trump has moved for an 'administrative stay' of enforcement pending the filing and disposition of any post-trial motions he may file. He seeks that relief without posting any security."
"The Court declines to grant any stay, much less an unsecured stay, without first having afforded plaintiff a meaningful opportunity to be heard," the judge wrote in his one-page order.
Kaplan said Carroll must file a motion by Thursday. Trump will also have a chance to respond.
On Friday, attorneys for Trump requested the stay in Manhattan federal court. After a five-day trial in January, a jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million for defamation after Trump said that he did not rape her.
Trump's lawyers argued that the award was "plainly excessive" because they said it violates the U.S. Constitution.
Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s, a claim he denied. After she made her accusations public in a book in 2019, Trump dismissed her claims and called her a liar, prompting Carroll to bring charges of defamation against him. The lawsuit alleges that Trump's denials harmed Carroll's reputation and caused her emotional distress.
Carroll's legal team argues that Trump's statements were false and intended to discredit her. This lawsuit is part of a more significant legal battle between the two, as Trump also faces a separate defamation lawsuit filed by Carroll. Trump's legal team has sought to dismiss both cases.
