NEW YORK, United States — A federal judge ordered the immediate release of more than 5 million dollars to E. Jean Carroll on Wednesday, rejecting an attempt by President Donald Trump to delay paying the former magazine columnist whom a jury found he sexually abused and defamed.
The ruling from federal Judge Lewis Kaplan came after Trump requested the court withhold the funds until the Supreme Court decides whether it will reconsider his petition to challenge the original jury finding. With accumulated interest, the total amount to be disbursed from the court registry to Carroll is nearly 5.8 million dollars. In response to the order, Trump promptly filed a notice with the court stating that he will appeal Judge Kaplan's decision to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team strongly condemned the ruling in a public statement, asserting that the American people stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all witch hunts, including what they described as the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll hoaxes. The statement added that Trump would continue to win against liberal lawfare while focusing on his mission to make America great again.
Trump’s attorneys had previously argued in court filings that waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on his motion for reconsideration would cause no harm to Carroll, but would instead cause irreparable harm to the president. They wrote that the plaintiff faces only a temporary delay that is fully compensable by interest, which had been the status quo throughout the appellate process. Conversely, they argued that President Trump faces an unrecoverable loss because Carroll has repeatedly stated her intention to give away the collected funds, making it highly unlikely the money could be recovered from third parties if the judgment is eventually overturned.
Carroll’s legal team had petitioned the judge to release the cash immediately after the Supreme Court denied Trump’s initial petition to challenge the jury’s verdict. Following that high court denial, Trump filed a subsequent motion with the Supreme Court requesting a rehearing, which his lawyers argued should have paused the payout.
This specific payout involves the first of two civil lawsuits that Carroll brought against Trump. The president has stated he also intends to ask the Supreme Court to review a separate, much larger jury award of 83 million dollars granted to Carroll after a court found he defamed her through public statements made in 2022. Trump's legal team has until the end of the month to file that separate petition with the Supreme Court.
