E Jean Carroll receives $5.6m from Trump after court releases damages

E Jean Carroll receives $5.6m from Trump after court releases damages

A Manhattan federal court has released more than $5.6 million to writer E. Jean Carroll, ending a years-long legal battle over damages awarded after a jury found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. According to a 14 July entry on the case docket, the funds were disbursed on 9 July, one day after a judge ordered the release of the money.

The total payment of $5,625,005.48 includes a $5 million judgment awarded by a unanimous nine-person jury in 2023, plus interest that has accrued since that time. The payment follows a series of unsuccessful attempts by Trump to delay the disbursement.

The funds had been held in the court’s registry investment system (Cris), which acts as an escrow agent for litigation awards when legal processes continue after a judgment. Both legal teams had previously agreed that Trump could deposit the jury award into Cris while he pursued appeals. Under this arrangement, the money remains available to the victor if appeals fail, preventing a defendant from using legal or financial tactics to withhold funds.

The release of the money followed a 29 June decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to deny Trump's request to hear his appeal. Following that refusal, Carroll's legal team asked the judge to order the release of the funds. Trump's lawyers requested more time to respond to that request, but Judge Lewis A. Kaplan denied the extension.

"Three years ago, a unanimous nine-person jury found President Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E Jean Carroll. Today, we are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment the jury awarded her as a result of that verdict,"

Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lead lawyer, via aol.com

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His legal team argued in court filings that Carroll's team had misinterpreted the Cris agreement and maintained that the money should stay in the account while he asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.

Judge Kaplan, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, rejected those efforts to pause the ruling. In a 8 July order, the judge stated that Trump has been stalling this case for years and concluded, It is time for him to 'do equity' and pay the judgment.

The litigation stems from a 2019 New York magazine feature that excerpted Carroll's book, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal. In the book, Carroll alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in the fitting room of a luxury New York department store during the 1990s. Trump later characterized the allegations as a con job in 2022.

While this payment resolves the 2023 judgment, Carroll is involved in a separate legal action. In 2024, another Manhattan federal court jury awarded her $83.3 million for defamatory comments Trump made about her during his presidency. Trump's appeal in that specific case remains under litigation.

Although the funds have been disbursed, an appeals court previously noted that the money should remain in Carroll's account and not be spent while Trump continues to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider the case.

Trump's personal legal team declined to comment on the payment.