Judge orders release of $5.8M Carroll award after Trump appeal fails

A Manhattan federal judge has ordered the release of about $5.8 million in court-held funds owed to E. Jean Carroll, moving the money closer to her after Donald Trump’s appeal in the underlying case failed at the Supreme Court.

Trump’s lawyers immediately filed a notice of appeal and asked to delay the disbursement, turning the fight into a new dispute over timing rather than the jury’s underlying finding against him.

Court order

The money includes the original $5 million jury award from Carroll’s 2023 civil case, plus post-judgment interest that reporting put at roughly $800,000. The funds had been held in a court-controlled account while Trump pursued appeals.

According to reporting, Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the release after the Supreme Court declined on June 29 to take up Trump’s appeal of the 2023 verdict. Trump then moved to stop the money from being released while he continues to press his challenge.

What Trump is arguing

Trump’s side has argued that immediate payment could cause irreparable harm if Carroll later had to return the money. His lawyers said she has said she plans to donate it, making recovery difficult if Trump were ultimately to prevail.

Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said the funds should be released under a 2023 agreement tied to the end of the appeals process.

Background

Carroll won the $5 million verdict in 2023 after a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. She also won a separate $83.3 million defamation verdict in 2024, which remains on a separate appeal track.

The current dispute is not about the jury’s liability finding itself. It is about whether money already held by the court should now be turned over after the Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal.

What happens next

Trump’s appeal of the disbursement order will go to the Second Circuit. The court could decide whether to pause the payment while Trump seeks further review.

For now, Carroll’s side is expected to press for immediate transfer of the money, while Trump’s side tries to keep it in place longer.