Overview
- Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered the immediate release of roughly $5.8 million from court escrow to E. Jean Carroll on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, directing payment of the original verdict plus accrued interest.
- The money stems from a 2023 federal jury that found President Donald J. Trump civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded about $5 million that grew with interest while appeals stayed collection.
- The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the 2023 verdict on June 29, 2026, and Trump’s lawyers filed a reconsideration request with the Court and an appeal of Kaplan’s order to the federal appeals court on July 8.
- Trump’s attorneys argued releasing funds would cause ‘irreparable’ harm because Carroll has said she may donate the money, while Carroll’s lawyers said she has waited through prolonged appeals and should be paid now.
- A separate 2024 jury award of $83.3 million for defamation is not part of this payout and remains under separate appeal, so legal battles over enforcement and recoverability are likely to continue.