A federal judge has mandated the distribution of over $5 million to writer E Jean Carroll, a sum owed by Donald Trump following a civil judgment for sexual abuse and defamation. Judge Lewis Kaplan instructed a court clerk on Wednesday to release the deposited funds, including accrued interest, to Carroll.
This decision follows Trump’s unsuccessful attempt to delay the payment after the Supreme Court declined to review his appeal last month. In May 2023, a New York jury ruled that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll in the 1990s and subsequently defamed her by labeling the claims as a hoax on social media. Trump continues to deny these accusations.
Carroll, 82, alleged the assault took place in a Manhattan department store dressing room during the mid-1990s. While Trump has argued that Judge Kaplan unfairly permitted prejudicial evidence during the trial, a federal appeals court upheld the jury’s verdict last year, confirming that no procedural errors occurred to necessitate a retrial.
