E. Jean Carroll’s Worried Trump Will Die Before She Gets the $90 Million

E. Jean Carroll said she’s worried former President Donald Trump could die before she gets the $90 million that she’s been awarded in her defamation cases against him.

In a Thursday court filing, Carroll’s attorneys argued that Trump’s request for a stay in the defamation case should be denied given the various unknowns surrounding the former president, including his 2024 White House bid, his four criminal indictments and his age. Trump will turn 78 in June.

“By the time the post-trial motions (or the appeal) are fully resolved, Trump may
be in a very different position,” the filing said. “He could then be President of the United States; he could then be a convicted criminal serving time behind bars; or, given his advanced age, Carroll may be forced to reckon with his estate.”

E. Jean Carroll sued Donald Trump for defamation over his repeated denials that he sexually assaulted her in Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Trump’s continued to deny the claims, but a judge ruled that he owes her $83 million in damages. The judge’s ruling came after a jury found Trump liable for $5 million for defamation.

Trump wants to delay paying Carroll while he battles out his appeals in court. The former president has maintained his innocence and believes that he’ll win his appeal to reverse the damages. While not an uncommon strategy, Trump’s finances have been called into question and Carroll’s using the delays to cast doubt on his ability to pay the judgment.

Carroll’s attorneys argued Thursday that Trump’s motion to stay should be denied not only because he is currently in a precarious financial situation, but because he has a history of declaring bankruptcy. Those comments echo speculations that Trump might file for bankruptcy in an effort to avoid paying.

“After running for office and being elected president, Trump engaged in a four-year battle to keep his tax returns private, bucking the decades-long, standard practice of presidential candidates giving the public accurate information about their financial situation,” the filing read, adding, “Even before that, Trump maintained a long history of attempting to skirt his debts: between 1990 and 2009, his companies declared bankruptcy six times.”

Trump’s companies have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy six times over the decades he’s been in business. In 1991, Trump’s Taj Mahal in Atlantic City filed for bankruptcy, followed by two other Atlantic City casinos and the Plaza Hotel in New York, which Trump borrowed extensively to own, in 1992. Trump Hotels and Casinos also filed for bankruptcy in 2004, followed by Trump Entertainment Resorts in 2009.

Describing Trump as someone who lacks “transparency or trustworthiness when it comes to his financial situation,” Carroll’s lawyers argued Thursday that his request for stay is “the court filing equivalent of a paper napkin; signed by the least trustworthy of borrowers.”