Episode summary
Legal analyst Michael Popok reports on E. Jean Carroll's emergency motion to immediately collect the $5.5 million judgment against Donald Trump after the Supreme Court denied his appeal 9-0, with no dissents even from justices previously accused of sexual misconduct themselves. Carroll's attorney Robbie Kaplan filed the motion after Trump posted on Truth Social claiming the sexual abuse case is actually against the United States of America rather than him personally, which Kaplan characterized as further defamation. Under a June 2023 court order, Carroll is entitled to collect once Trump exhausted Supreme Court appeals, but Trump now claims he is considering seeking reconsideration, which Kaplan calls another delay tactic. Trump was found liable by two separate juries for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her, with the first trial resulting in $5.5 million in damages and the second in $83.5 million after Trump testified and stormed out during closing arguments. In a prior interview played during the episode, Carroll revealed that Trump walking out while Robbie Kaplan argued about how much money it would take to stop his defamation was the moment the jury turned decisively against him. The episode also highlights Trump's deposition gaffe where he misidentified Carroll in a photograph as his wife Marla Maples, undermining his claim he never met her and she wasn't his type. Popok predicts Judge Kaplan will order expedited briefing and rule in Carroll's favor to release the funds immediately, potentially within weeks.
