A Manhattan federal court judge has ordered the release of more than $5 million that Donald Trump owes to writer E Jean Carroll following her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial. Judge Lewis Kaplan's ruling on Wednesday directs the disbursement of funds held in a court-controlled account, which now total approximately $5.8 million due to accrued interest.
The order came after the US Supreme Court declined to review Trump's appeal on 29 June. Trump had deposited the original $5 million jury award plus interest into the court's registry investment system (Cris) shortly after the verdict, as part of an agreement with Carroll's legal team that allowed the funds to be released if certain appeal conditions were met, including a Supreme Court refusal to hear the case.
Trump immediately filed paperwork indicating he would appeal the decision. The case stems from Carroll's allegations that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store dressing room in the 1990s, and that he defamed her by denying the claims. Trump has denied all wrongdoing.
In a separate 2024 trial, a different jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million for defamatory statements Trump made about her while president. Trump secured a bond for that judgment rather than depositing funds into Cris.
