Judge Orders $5.8M Paid to E. Jean Carroll; Trump Appeals

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered that writer E. Jean Carroll can collect $5.8 million held in escrow since a jury found President Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, marking the latest development in a years-long legal battle that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump’s lawyers immediately appealed and sought an emergency order to block the payment, but were denied by a federal appeals court judge.

The Ruling

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan issued the order releasing the funds, which had been deposited by Trump shortly after a jury ruled against him in 2023. The initial $5 million award has grown with interest to $5.8 million. In his memorandum, Kaplan wrote that Trump “has been stalling this case for years” and that “it is time for him to ‘do equity’ and pay the judgment,” as reported by the Associated Press.

Late Wednesday, Judge Eunice C. Lee of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s emergency request to stop the money from being transferred to Carroll.

The Legal Saga

The case stems from Carroll’s allegation that Trump sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in approximately 1996. Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, went public with her claims in a 2019 memoir. Trump denied the allegations and said he had never met her.

Carroll filed two lawsuits against Trump. The first, under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, resulted in a May 2023 jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding $5 million in damages. The second, a separate defamation case concerning statements Trump made while president, resulted in a January 2024 jury award of $83.3 million.

Supreme Court Rejection

On June 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal of the $5 million verdict, leaving the jury’s finding in place. The high court’s decision, issued without noted dissents, effectively ended Trump’s effort to overturn the 2023 verdict, as NBC News reported.

Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement: “Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury’s unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll. His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today’s ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions.”

Trump responded on social media, calling the case “really against the United States of America” and vowing to continue fighting. A spokesperson for his legal team described the matter as “the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes.”

The $83.3 Million Appeal

While the $5 million verdict has been resolved, Trump continues to separately appeal the $83.3 million defamation award from the 2024 trial. An appeals court has temporarily delayed payment of that award pending Supreme Court review. Circuit Judge Denny Chin of the 2nd Circuit, in a ruling on that case, noted that “as a result of Trump’s statements, Carroll was harassed and humiliated, subjected to death threats, and feared for her physical safety for years,” as AP News reported.

DOJ Criminal Investigation

Complicating the legal landscape, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation in May 2026 involving Carroll’s lawsuits. The probe, reported by NBC News, focuses on a trust founded by billionaire Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, whose nonprofit helped pay some of Carroll’s legal costs. Investigators are examining possible money laundering, obstruction, conspiracy, and potential perjury related to Carroll’s testimony about how her case was funded.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as one of Trump’s personal attorneys in the Carroll appeal, has recused himself from the investigation. Hoffman has called the allegations “absurdly false” and said Trump “cannot be allowed to use the full weight and power of the US Government to come after women who speak up.”

What’s Next

With the $5.8 million payment now ordered, Carroll is poised to finally collect the damages awarded by the jury more than three years ago. However, the broader legal battle continues on multiple fronts: Trump’s appeal of the $83.3 million defamation award remains pending before the Supreme Court, and the DOJ criminal investigation into the funding of Carroll’s legal case is still in its early stages. The case has established a significant precedent for presidential accountability, demonstrating that a sitting president can be held civilly liable for conduct predating and during their time in office.