Appeals court pauses Trump’s $83 million payment to E. Jean Carroll pending Supreme Court action

Donald TrumpAppeals court pauses Trump’s $83 million payment to E. Jean Carroll pending Supreme Court actionCarroll didn’t object to the pause as long as certain conditions were met.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00E. Jean Carroll has two defamation cases against President Donald Trump.Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 12, 2026, 10:27 PM EDTBy Kyla GuilfoilA federal appeals court ruled this week that President Donald Trump doesn’t need to pay an $83 million defamation award to writer E. Jean Carroll until the Supreme Court either reviews the case or decides to pass on it.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York issued the order Monday after Trump asked it to pause its earlier ruling denying him a chance to challenge the defamation award before the full appeals court.The court granted Trump’s request to pause that ruling, citing no objection from Carroll so long as Trump agreed to raise the bond by $7.46 million to account for interest that would accrue on her award during further legal proceedings that are expected to extend to the Supreme Court.Carroll’s legal team and representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for a comment on the appeals court decision Tuesday night.Add NBC News to GoogleTrump asks Supreme Court to throw out E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse verdict01:04Trump’s attorneys are seeking to invoke a federal statute to swap him out as the defendant and have the U.S. government take his place. If it is successful, the move would essentially nullify Carroll’s case since the federal government cannot be sued for defamation. The appeals court last month rejected a request for a hearing on that argument.A jury sided with Carroll in 2024, agreeing with her claims that Trump defamed her when he repeatedly denied that he sexually abused her in a dressing room in the 1990s.Trump is trying t...