A U.S. federal judge has ruled that writer E. Jean Carroll can collect more than $5.8 million from President Donald Trump after his appeal against a 2023 civil verdict was unsuccessful. The decision came after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's appeal, clearing the way for the money to be released.
The payment includes the original $5 million awarded by a jury in 2023, along with accumulated interest. The money had been held in a court-controlled escrow account while Trump's appeal was being considered. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan authorized the release of the funds, saying the legal conditions for payment had now been met.
The case stems from Carroll's allegation that Trump sexually abused her in a dressing room at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her by publicly denying the accusation in 2019. A jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, although it did not find him liable for rape. Trump has consistently denied the allegations, describing the case as politically motivated and insisting he did not know Carroll.
Shortly after the judge's ruling, Trump's legal team filed another appeal in an effort to block the release of the money. His lawyers argued that paying Carroll before all legal options are exhausted could cause "irreparable harm," particularly because Carroll has said she intends to donate much of the money.
The legal battle is not yet over. Trump is also appealing a separate $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to Carroll in another case, while his lawyers continue to seek further review from the Supreme Court.