A federal judge officially ordered Donald Trump to begin paying E. Jean Carroll nearly $5.8 million. This payment stems from a 2023 jury verdict that found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll. The $5 million awarded in 2023 has accrued interest, bringing the total to $5.8 million, according to Carroll's lawyers, or $6.4 million, according to Trump's legal team, which is being held in a court-monitored escrow account.
The judge's order comes after the Supreme Court rejected Trump's request last month to appeal the 2023 verdict. Prior to this, Trump's lawyers sought to delay payments, arguing that he would face "irreparable harm" if forced to pay before the Supreme Court "fully" decided on his attempts to overturn the verdict. However, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan denied these requests, including an appeal to stall payments and a bid for more time to respond to Carroll's demand, stating that Trump's efforts to avoid payment had been exhausted.
This payment is separate from an $83 million defamation judgment Carroll was awarded in January 2024 by a different jury. That second verdict is also subject to an ongoing appeal process by Trump, which includes a separate request to the Supreme Court. The legal battle began seven years ago with Carroll's defamation lawsuit, accusing Trump of assaulting her in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s and then defaming her through his denials.
