US judge orders release of $5.8m Trump owes E. Jean Carroll after court loss

A Manhattan federal judge has ordered the release of about $5.8 million to E. Jean Carroll, clearing the way for payment on a civil award Donald Trump had kept in court custody while he challenged the case.

The money comes from the $5 million verdict Carroll won in 2023, plus interest that accumulated during the appeal process. Trump had deposited the funds in a court-controlled account while seeking to overturn the ruling.

The order marks a new step in a long-running fight over when Carroll can collect the money. It follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to take Trump’s appeal of the verdict, leaving the judgment in place.

Trump’s lawyers immediately appealed the release order to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They have also argued that the money should remain withheld while they pursue further relief.

Carroll’s lawyers said the payment should be released now because the appeal process over the underlying verdict is effectively over.

The payment fight

The immediate dispute is not over whether the money is owed, but over when it should be released. Carroll asked the court to require Trump to turn over the amount after the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal.

The judge then ordered the funds released from the account where they had been held during the litigation. Unless a higher court intervenes, Carroll can receive the money now rather than waiting for further delay.

That amount is larger than the original award because of interest. What began as a $5 million verdict has grown to roughly $5.8 million.

Trump’s team is still trying to keep the money frozen while it pursues additional legal steps, but the core verdict has already survived its last major Supreme Court test.

How the case got here

The Carroll case stems from a jury finding that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996 and later defamed her after she went public with the allegation.

Trump has denied the allegations and has continued to challenge the verdicts.

Carroll first publicly described the alleged assault in 2019, and the case has since become one of the most closely watched civil disputes involving Trump.

The money now at issue is tied to the 2023 verdict, not the separate later defamation award in another Carroll trial.

What happens next

The next immediate step is Trump’s appeal of the release order at the 2nd Circuit. That court will consider whether the payout can proceed or should be paused again.

Trump’s lawyers may also keep seeking additional relief tied to the Supreme Court, even though the justices already declined to hear the underlying appeal.

The broader Carroll litigation is not over. Trump is also appealing a separate $83 million defamation award from a different Carroll trial.

For now, though, the key development is narrower and more immediate: a federal judge has ordered the money released, and the fight has shifted from liability to delay.