Trump’s Last-Ditch Effort to Delay $5.8M Payout Falls Short
Trump s last ditch effort to stall – President Donald Trump’s final attempt to postpone a $5.8 million settlement with E. Jean Carroll has been rejected by a federal judge, marking a decisive end to his strategy to avoid financial responsibility. The judge’s ruling on July 4 issued a text-only order, confirming the payment and closing the door on Trump’s repeated efforts to stall the verdict. This decision follows a 2022 jury finding that Trump sexually assaulted and defamed Carroll, a former Ellen magazine writer, in a case that has tested his legal defenses over four years.
Legal Battle and Jury Verdict
The lawsuit against Trump originated from a civil defamation case rooted in allegations of sexual assault from the 1990s. Carroll claimed that Trump attacked her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan, an incident she detailed in her memoir excerpt. A jury awarded her $5.8 million in damages, holding Trump accountable for both the assault and the defamation. The verdict represents the culmination of a protracted legal fight, where Trump’s team consistently denied the accusations, framing them as politically motivated attacks.
Trump’s legal team has made several last-ditch efforts to delay the payment, including arguing that new lead counsel, Josh Halper, needed time to review the facts. This argument came after the departure of Justin Smith, who left the case last month. Despite these claims, Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed the motion, emphasizing that the case had already been thoroughly examined and the evidence was clear. The ruling solidifies Trump’s liability and underscores the judge’s confidence in the jury’s decision.
Supreme Court’s Final Decision
Trump’s last-ditch effort to delay the payout extended to the Supreme Court, where his attorneys sought a review of the case. However, the justices declined the petition, leaving the lower court’s ruling unchanged. This decision effectively ends Trump’s ability to appeal the verdict, ensuring the $5.8 million settlement becomes a binding legal obligation. The lack of intervention from the Supreme Court signals that the case will proceed as initially determined, with Trump now required to fulfill his financial commitment.
Carroll’s legal representative, Roberta Kaplan, criticized Trump’s strategy in court filings, accusing him of using the last-ditch effort to buy time for a new defense. Kaplan highlighted that Trump’s tactics were not just about delaying the payment but also about undermining the judicial process. The case has become a symbol of his ongoing attempts to contest the validity of the allegations, even as the evidence and testimonies supporting Carroll’s claims have grown stronger.
Carroll, undeterred by Trump’s legal maneuvers, has maintained her stance throughout the proceedings. Her allegations, which include sexual assault and defamation, have been a central point of contention in Trump’s public disputes. While he has labeled the case a “hoax” and a “con job,” the federal judge’s rejection of his last-ditch effort to delay the payment reaffirms the strength of the legal arguments presented by Carroll’s team. The ruling also reinforces the idea that Trump’s attempts to challenge the verdict have not succeeded in shifting the burden of proof.
Trump’s continued defiance of the verdict is evident in his public statements, where he often frames the case as a political attack. On Truth Social, he reiterated his claims of innocence, dismissing the lawsuit as a “Fake Case” brought by someone he claimed he never met. This narrative, however, has not prevented the legal system from upholding the jury’s decision. The final rejection of his last-ditch effort to stall the payout now forces Trump to confront the financial consequences of his actions, as the settlement stands as a legal confirmation of his liability.
