Judge Orders Donald Trump to Pay $5 Million to E. Jean Carroll in Defamation Case

A judge has ruled that former U.S. President Donald Trump must transfer over $5 million to writer E. Jean Carroll, after a jury found that Trump sexually assaulted her and defamed her. The amount, which has grown to approximately $5.8 million due to accrued interest, was held in a court-supervised trust account to allow Trump to appeal the 2023 verdict. Trump's legal team requested the funds be frozen pending a U.S. Supreme Court review, arguing that releasing the money now would cause "irreparable harm" and that Carroll intends to donate the funds, which could complicate recovery if the appeal succeeds.

Carroll's attorneys demanded immediate release of the funds following the Supreme Court's recent rejection of Trump's appeal request, which they view as the final legal step. Trump's team condemned the ruling as a "Democrat-funded witch hunt," asserting that the former president will continue to fight the legal battles. Trump promptly filed a formal notice to appeal the decision to release the funds.

This case is one of two major lawsuits Carroll filed against Trump, based on her claim that he assaulted her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996. Trump also plans to ask the Supreme Court to review a separate jury verdict ordering him to pay Carroll $83 million for defamatory statements he made about her. According to CNN, Trump has until the end of the month to file this appeal.