Donald Trump's Legal Request in E. Jean Carroll Case Rejected by Judge

The judge who oversaw Donald Trump's E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit has rejected the former president's bid to delay paying damages.

Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, filed a motion on Friday urging Judge Lewis Kaplan to pause the former president's obligation to pay Carroll $83.3 million for statements made in 2019.

In a memorandum filed in court, Habba wrote that Kaplan should stay the judgment until at least 30 days after "forthcoming post-trial motions, which will be filed no later than March 7."

She also said in a statement emailed to Newsweek: "The figure awarded to Ms. Carroll is egregiously excessive. The Court must exercise its authority to prevent... this absurd judgment, which will not withstand appeal."

But in a court filing dated February 24, Judge Kaplan denied the request, writing: "The Court declines to grant any stay, much less an unsecured stay, without first having afforded plaintiff a meaningful opportunity to be heard."

Trump has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing in the Carroll case and has said he will appeal the January verdict. Newsweek contacted representatives for Trump to comment on this story.

It comes amid speculation about how Trump's damages will affect his net worth and finances. Experts told Newsweek last month that the payments to Carroll could cause Trump to go bankrupt. Others told Newsweek it could create liquidity problems for him.

Meanwhile, earlier this month Judge Arthur Engoron created another financial headache for the GOP frontrunner, ruling that the former president will have to pay roughly $355 million in penalties for fraud in a high-profile New York case. It was ruled that Trump and top executives at The Trump Organization inflated the value of his assets to obtain more favorable terms from lenders and insurers.

Carroll has also indicated she could sue Trump again. In January, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow asked Carroll about Trump's post-trial behavior. The Republican has continued to speak about Carroll on social media and in rallies. She said he has been posting links online to articles that attacked the journalist and denied her claims.

Maddow said: "If it came to it, if your lawyers told you there was another case and you should go back and get more money out of him would you do it?"

"Absolutely," Carroll replied. "Absolutely."

Update 2/25/24, 10:08 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.