Trump Walks into New Defamation Case Instantly

Summary

Legal AF by MeidasTouch: "Trump Walks into New Defamation Case Instantly"

Date: July 5, 2026
Host: Michael Popok (with commentary and references to Ben Meiselas, Robby Kaplan, and E. Jean Carroll)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Legal AF unpacks the latest in Donald Trump’s ongoing legal battles with E. Jean Carroll, focusing on a fresh emergency court filing demanding Trump finally pay the $5.5 million judgment for defamation and sexual abuse. Host Michael Popok provides detailed legal analysis, recounts Trump’s continued public attacks on Carroll after losing at the Supreme Court, and explains the significance of Carroll’s legal team pushing the judge to enforce immediate payment—while highlighting moments that shaped the jury’s verdicts.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Continued Defamation & the New Emergency Motion

• Initial Supreme Court Context:

  • The Supreme Court denied Trump’s petition to review the case without dissent, finalizing Carroll’s $5.5 million award (plus interest) after multiple attempts at appeal.
  • Popok: “It’s bad when the two people on the Supreme Court who have been accused of sexual abuse or harassment in their own lifetimes…did not come to Donald Trump’s rescue.” (02:18)

• Trump’s Social Media Attacks:

  • Immediately after the Supreme Court’s denial, Trump posted on Truth Social claiming the case was not against him but the United States of America, reigniting defamatory statements against Carroll.
  • Popok reads from the filing:

    “Defendant made a post on truth social media that same morning in which he continued his stream of defamatory attacks on Carroll…including the ridiculous claim of defamation…this case is really against the United States of America.” (03:38)

• Carroll’s Legal Response – ‘Enough is Enough’:

  • Carroll’s attorney, Robby Kaplan, filed a motion demanding immediate access to the awarded funds with expedited briefing, emphasizing repeated judicial findings that Trump attempts delay at every stage.
  • Kaplan (via Popok): “Having lost his bid…[Trump] remarkably seeks to further delay Carroll’s collection…by stating that he’s considering whether to move for reconsideration.” (08:38)
  • Popok comments, “This is the end of the line.” (09:51)

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2. How Trump’s Behavior in Court Shaped Jury Outcomes

• Jury Dynamics and Turning Points:
  • Discussion of the pivotal moment in the second trial (the $83.5M case, now with interest over $90M): Robby Kaplan’s final argument pushed Trump to “lose it.”
  • Popok recounts:

    “She was telling the jury how rich he was and as she was saying ‘how much will it take to make him stop,’ she drove him so insane he stood up and walked out. The jury saw that and, boy, that’s what a guilty man does. That’s—he turns tail and runs. Robby Kaplan ran him out of court.” (12:11–12:27)

  • Carroll told Popok in an interview that this moment confirmed for the team they would win.

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3. The "Celebrity Photo" and Trump’s Deposition Blunder

• Trump’s Denial and the Photo Incident:
  • Trump claimed he’d never met Carroll and that she “wasn’t his type.” Carroll’s team produced a decades-old photo showing him with Carroll and their respective spouses.
  • During deposition, Trump misidentified Carroll in the photo, confusing her for Marla Maples, one of his ex-wives, undermining his previous claims and credibility.
  • Excerpt from Deposition:
    • Donald Trump: “That’s Marla. Yeah. That’s—that’s my wife.”
    • Interviewer: “Which woman are you pointing to?”
    • Donald Trump: “…Is that Carroll? Because it’s very blurry.”
      (15:07–15:27)
  • Popok notes:

    “Another reason he lost at trial…when that was played at trial he looked completely ridiculous. That’s what he’s referring to there because that’s his tell.” (15:27)

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4. What Happens Next: Judge’s Upcoming Actions

• Carroll’s Request for Immediate Payment:
  • Her lawyers seek expedited briefing—aiming for Trump’s payment to be processed as soon as possible, likely in July or August.
  • Popok’s forecast:

    “I think in the next day or so…he’s gonna order fast briefing…and then he’s gonna make his ruling and I think it’s gonna be in E. Jean’s favor.” (16:05)

  • Broader Impact: Discussion of broader implications for Trump, including his attempt to shift liability to the United States on acts he undertook as president—an argument Popok finds legally futile.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 02:18 | “It’s bad when the two people on the Supreme Court who have been accused of sexual abuse or harassment…did not come to Donald Trump’s rescue.” | Michael Popok | | 03:38 | “Defendant made a post on truth social…in which he continued his stream of defamatory attacks on Carroll…this case is really against the United States of America.” | From Carroll’s Emergency Filing (read by Popok) | | 08:38 | “Having lost his bid to obtain review before the Supreme Court…[Trump] remarkably seeks to further delay Carroll’s collection…by stating that he’s considering whether to move for reconsideration.” | Robby Kaplan (read by Popok) | | 12:11 | “She was telling the jury how rich he was and as she was saying how much will it take to make him stop, she drove him so insane he stood up and walked out…the jury saw that…that’s what a guilty man does…Robby Kaplan ran him out of court.” | Michael Popok (paraphrasing Robby Kaplan and E. Jean Carroll) | | 15:07 | “That’s Marla. Yeah. That’s—that’s my wife.” / “Is that Carroll? Because it’s very blurry.” | Donald Trump, Deposition | | 15:27 | “Another reason he lost at trial when that was played at trial and he looked completely ridiculous.” | Michael Popok |

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:55–03:55: Trump’s post-Supreme Court denial rant and new defamation remarks
• 05:55–08:38: Carroll’s emergency filing and the legal stipulations for payout
• 10:50–12:27: Turning point in the second trial—Trump’s courtroom walkout and jury impact
• 13:27–15:27: Breakdown of the “celebrity photo” deposition and its fallout
• 16:05–16:43: Next steps—timeline for expected judge ruling and expedited payment

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Conclusion

This episode provides a sharp, detailed legal breakdown of Trump’s last-ditch delay tactics in the face of Carroll’s persistence and mounting judgments. Through firsthand recounting of key trial moments, legal filings, and Trump’s own public statements, Popok emphasizes the futility of Trump’s current legal maneuvers and forecasts imminent enforcement of the judgment. The episode balances legal process with behind-the-scenes insight—making it essential listening for those tracking Trump’s accountability in the courts.

Transcript

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[Michael Popak]

donald trump in a new filing he

didn't sexually abuse e jean carroll the

united states of america did oh i'm not making it up it's in a new rambling defamatory disparaging social media post right after donald trump lost effectively nine

zero at the united states supreme court

about his sexual abuse against e jean carroll i mean it's bad when the

two people on the supreme court who

have been accused of sexual abuse or harassment in their own lifetimes judge cav justice cavanaugh and justice thomas did not come to donald trump's rescue to get him out from under the sex abuse judgment by a jury in new york e jean carroll is trying now finally under a court order to collect the five point five million dollars now running with interest judgment in the first trial that she had i'm putting aside the ninety million dollars she's now owed for the second trial we're just talking on this particular video about the five point five million dollars and now it's time

to to pay up it's the end

of the line but not for donald trump he actually posted in a social media post that the case is not against him it's against the united states of america no it's against you as an adjudged sex abuser i'm michael popak you're on legal af and the midas touch network let's get to the new emergency filing by e jean carroll her lawyers robby kaplan who has filed a motion with judge kaplan no relationship i'll tell you about that in a minute in which she said enough is enough i'll read it to you in a moment enough is enough it's time to pay judge we had a order in place since last june that said we'll wait patiently until trump loses or has a decision at the united states supreme court he lost the petition was denied nine zero after thirteen tries time for us to collect the money that's been sitting in the court registry with interest which is now five point five million dollars issue an immediate order and then she says and by the way the person who's been defamed and two separate juries have found that e jean carroll has been mercilessly defamed by donald trump clubbed like a baby seal including during the trials one jury said no five point five million dollars second jury said eighty three and a half million that's the one donald trump testified in okay he's still defaming her let me read to you from the defamatory social media post that has been reprinted by robby kaplan in her filing for eugene carroll in the last twenty four hours following the supreme court's denial defendant made a post on truth social media that same morning in which he continued his stream of defamatory attacks on carol trump surprisingly the supreme court declined to review a fake case brought against me by a woman i never met and a decades old celebrity photo line standing with her husband does not count hold that thought about the photo because there's testimony about the photo that lost the case for donald trump i will continue the fight against this weaponization and law firing case against me including the ridiculous claim of defamation with all of my power and strength this case is really against the united states of america it isn't and that is defamatory again if i mean if i'm gian carroll having two separate juries find that she was a sexual abuse victim having having the judge rule in one of his orders that she is that she was technically raped by donald trump the only reason for sexual abuse versus rape had to do with what the jury was able to conclude from testimony about what what how she was attacked when her eyes were closed and this judge is going to be triggered i assure you by this filing trump got into it with this judge this judge of course in that boxing match the judge wins by knockout trump was talking out loud trying to influence the jury huffing and puffing trying to intimidate eugene carroll and the judge had enough with it told him to sit down and shut up and the two of them got into it and of course the judge won that fight the judge also has had his decision affirmed by the second circuit court of appeals three judge panel the second circuit court of appeals all twenty judges the united states supreme court so he's he could be feeling his oats right now right and he's not going to like having seen donald trump in action including defaming her during the trial and both trials he's not going to like that he's defaming her again to try to delay payment my day it revolves around information

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legal a f how do we know he's trying to delay payment because they had to file this motion here's what the new motion and they're seeking expedited briefing to get the payment quickly like perhaps in the month of august here's what the filing says yesterday the united states supreme court denied without dissent defendant donald trump's petition for writ of sir sharari that's his ability his attempt last gasp attempt to get the case up at the united states supreme court for review a final outcome that as the parties agreed in this court expressly ordered back in june of twenty twenty three entitles carroll to collect any monies owed by the defendant to plaintiff because there's a stipulation that the court that the judge entered here it is right here we'll put it up on legal af substack stipulation and order regarding the use of cash and if you go to paragraph eight it says as soon as there is a denial of a timely filed petition of writ of certiorari she gets her money without further delay but they continue with what they have to tell the court this is robby kaplan for e jean carroll having lost his bid to obtain review before the supreme court defendants continues continue to be dilatory and slow rolling his defenses asserting or inventing a new one each time his prior effort to delay the case fails that's a finding by the judge in prior actions by trump in this case this time around he remarkably seeks to further delay carol's collection of the judgment awarded to her in twenty twenty three by stating that he's considering whether to move for reconsideration oh i'm glad you're considering whether to move for something that's never going to be granted by the united states supreme court as robbie kaplan writes this is the end of the line after a nine person jury unanimously found defendant liable for sex abuse and defamation your honor denied a motion for new trial a unanimous second circuit panel three judges affirmed and the full court declined to reconsider and now the supreme court has declined defendant trump's invitation to review this court's judgment there wasn't even a dissent thomas alito kavanaugh any of the people accused of sex abuse none of none of them none of them said well i would have granted that petition no now they have a separate judgment to consider on another petition because she didn't win once e jean carroll won twice on sex abuse and defamation and punitive damages the second trial donald trump testified that made it worse especially when he got up in the middle of the courtroom and stormed out of the courtroom in front of the jury that's the moment when he lost how do i know that because e jean carroll told me that during an interview here's e jean carroll what was the

moment in that trial was it the photo and robbie's masterful cross examination that got played about not recognizing you along with your former husband in the picture is that the turning point for the

[Robby Kaplan]

jury the dialogue i said i said to sean earlier we were discussing your book i said it was you know chico marx as told by samuel beckett it was hilarious thank you but the cross examination was hilarious she i think

now people will argue with me about this that was the moment when the carol team knew we had won back in the deposition we just knew right the moment we thought we won the trial was robby was giving her final argument and she was fired up she had taken all the evidence from his fraud case deposition about how much money he had and was telling the jury how rich he was and as she was saying how much will it take to make him stop she drove him so insane he stood up and walked

out right he left and the jury

saw that and boy that that's what a guilty man does that's he turns tail and run robbie kaplan ran him

[Michael Popak]

out of court yeah that makes a lot of sense now that one returned eighty three and a half now up to ninety over ninety million dollars running with interest that donald trump has posted with a bond he's trying another petition on that one again he lost the second circuit they're arguing well he was president at the time he defamed her so he gets immunity yeah no that's not how immunity works and they waive the argument because alina haba never raised it in court and the second circuit said that and now it's up at the united states supreme court i don't think he gets five votes to get him out from under being a sex abuser and the eighty three point five million dollars judgment i don't think amy coney barrett is going to side with that i don't think even roberts is going to side with that it's not a criminal case it's a civil case and they're not going to undercut the jury award and find immunity that's what donald trump's talking about in his social media post when he says this is really an america problem cuz he's trying to get you united states of america you and me substituted in as the party so that he doesn't have to pay up now he also says this is interesting he also says he refers to this decades old celebrity photo line standing with her husband does not count what's that all about okay he said he never met aegean carroll he said she wasn't his type because he's disgusting and he always goes after women who accuse him of being sex abuser of being a sex abuser or worse he always says they're ugly and he would not have done that as if that's an excuse so it came up in the deposition that the robby kaplan e jean carroll side found a photo of e jean carroll standing in a line smiling and laughing with her then husband j johnson john johnson who was a very famous newscaster in new york wabc i grew up with john johnson and there was donald trump and his first wife ivana so they use the photo thinking and i had robbie kaplan on to talk about this they thought it was just gonna be to show that he had met her before but when he got the photo he he said out loud he thought that eugene carroll who he said it was too ugly for him to have sexually abused he he thought it was his other wife marla maples he actually thought both of his two of his wives were in the photo together and and lena haba had to try to bail him out in fact we have a clip of that deposition here we go play it

[Donald Trump]

i don't even know who the woman let's see i don't know who it's marla

[Interviewer]

you say marla's in this photo

[Donald Trump]

that's marla yeah that's that's my wife

[Interviewer]

which woman are you pointing to no

[Donald Trump]

here carol the person you just pointed

[Interviewer]

to was who is that and the person the woman on the right is your then wife i don't know this

[Donald Trump]

was the picture i assume that's john johnson is that carol because it's very

[Michael Popak]

blurry another reason he lost at trial when that was played at trial and he looked completely ridiculous that's what he's referring to there because that's his tell now what's going to happen what they've asked the judge to do is expedite briefing on this to not allow the trump to drag his feet any longer and to order the clerk to pay the money like this week next week to e jean carroll period without delay now he's going to give trump the right to file a brief but i think in the next day or so and i'll report back on midas and illegal af substack he's gonna order fast briefing here it's not gonna be by friday it could be but i think right after the fourth of july weekend he's gonna ask for immediate briefing and then he's gonna make his ruling and i think it's gonna be in egg's favor and i've reached out to eugene carroll and to robbie kaplan i think they're waiting for these papers to kind of settle and the order to come out and maybe on the eighty three and a half million and then i'm sure i'll get them on to brief our audience in the meantime i i'm michael popak have a great fourth of july weekend so much amazing programming over on legal af youtube channel from now throughout the weekend including some amazing new interviews that i'm doing join us there until my next report this is michael

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