Judge Orders $5.8 Million Payment to E. Jean Carroll After Trump Loses Appeal Bid

A U.S. federal judge has authorized the release of nearly $5.8 million to magazine writer E. Jean Carroll, allowing her to collect a 2023 civil judgment after President Donald Trump failed to block the payment during the appeals process.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that Carroll is entitled to receive the funds, which include the original $5 million jury award plus accrued interest. The money had remained in escrow while Trump challenged the verdict, but the U.S. Supreme Court declined on June 29 to hear his appeal, clearing the way for the payment.

Kaplan said Trump had delayed the case for years and that it was time for the judgment to be satisfied. Trump immediately sought an emergency order from the federal appeals court in Manhattan to halt the disbursement, but the request was denied.

A spokesperson for Trump's legal team criticized the ruling, describing the lawsuits as politically motivated and calling for an end to what they labeled "witch hunts." Trump’s lawyers argued that releasing the money before the Supreme Court considers another appeal could damage confidence in the judicial process. They also claimed Trump would suffer irreparable harm if Carroll donated or spent the funds, making recovery difficult should the verdict later be overturned.

Judge Kaplan rejected those arguments, stating that Trump could pursue legal action to recover the money if the Supreme Court eventually reversed the decision, which he described as highly unlikely.

Carroll’s attorneys countered that Trump has repeatedly used meritless appeals to delay payment, arguing their 82-year-old client should not have to wait any longer. They said Carroll plans to place the money in an interest-bearing account and use it to support her retirement.

Carroll first sued Trump in 2019, accusing him of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan during the mid-1990s. Trump has consistently denied the allegations, calling them a hoax and insisting he never knew Carroll.

In 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages. A separate jury later awarded Carroll $83.3 million for additional defamatory statements Trump made in 2019. Trump is continuing to challenge that judgment and plans to seek Supreme Court review.