Roberta Kaplan, who is the attorney for E. Jean Carroll, recently claimed that Judge Lewis Kaplan is set to compell former President Donald Trump to pay the full $83.3 million he owes her client.
On Friday evening, a New York ruled that Trump was liable for $83.3 million in damages for defaming Carroll. Last May, a jury also found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a department store back in the 1990s and awarded her $5 million in damages.
There has been a lot of speculation over the last 24 hours regarding whether Carroll will ever receive the money. However, Kaplan appeared on an interview with Anderson Cooper from CNN on Friday to discuss the verdict and the amount Trump owes. Despite Trump’s vow to appeal the ruling, Kaplan expressed doubt in his success.
Cooper asked Kaplan if it’s possible that Trump somehow avoids paying her client by declaring bankruptcy.
COOPER: There have been plenty of cases where a jury awards a huge verdict and it gets knocked down later on. Do you anticipate, E. Jean Carroll actually seeing this money?
KAPLAN: Completely she’ll see this money. So the kinds of ratios that the courts get concerned about are ratios over 6 to 1. Here we’re well within that range.
COOPER: Six to one based on the person’s income?
KAPLAN: Based on the compensatory damages. So here compensatory damages are $18 million. So 65 punitive with 18 million compensatory is not that big of a ratio. And I can’t imagine the court having any problem with it.
COOPER: I mean you also hear you know, there’s been plenty of defendants who have a big judgment against them and somehow finagle a way, declare bankruptcy, or figure out a way not to pay. Do you think he’s going to pay?
KAPLAN: I think he’s going to have to pay. And whether it requires him to sell something or to put a lien on something to get a loan, that’s his problem, not ours. He’s going to pay. And Judge Kaplan, through judgement enforcement mechanisms will make sure that he pays. And indeed, even to take the appeal, he’s going to have to at least put up a bond of 20% of the amount.
