Court Releases Funds to Carroll
A Manhattan federal court has released more than $5.6 million that Donald Trump owes E Jean Carroll following her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against him, according to court records. The disbursement, noted in a 14 July entry on Carroll's case docket, shows the funds were released from a court-held account on 9 July, one day after Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the release.
Trump, who has denied wrongdoing, had been fighting the release since June. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his request to hear an appeal on 29 June, clearing the way for the payment.
Legal Statements and Escrow Arrangement
“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, said in a statement.
Carroll’s legal team requested the judge to order the release of funds immediately after the Supreme Court’s decision. Trump’s lawyers asked for more time to respond, but the judge denied that request. The funds had been deposited in the court’s registry investment system (CRIS), which functions as an escrow agent while appeals are pending. Under the agreement between both parties, the money was to be released if Trump’s appeals failed, including if the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.
Background of the Case
Before the Supreme Court rejection, Trump mounted multiple unsuccessful appeals. His team argued that Carroll misinterpreted the release provision and sought to keep the money in CRIS while asking the Supreme Court to reconsider. In a separate 2024 trial, a different Manhattan federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million for defamatory comments Trump made while president. Both verdicts stem from a 2019 New York magazine excerpt of Carroll’s book, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal, in which she alleged Trump sexually assaulted her in a department store fitting room about three decades prior.
