Why did Donald Trump pay E. Jean Carroll $5.8 million? Judge’s order explained after Supreme Court setback
US President Donald Trump ordered to pay Jane Carroll Carroll was awarded nearly $5.8 million in damages after a federal judge allowed the release of funds set aside after a jury found Carroll liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan issued an order Wednesday allowing Carroll to receive the money plus interest accrued since the 2023 civil trial judgment.
The money was deposited into a court-controlled fund while Trump appeals.
The decision came after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Trump’s challenge to the jury’s 2023 verdict, leaving his verdict unchanged.
Why does Trump owe E. Jean Carroll $5.8 million?
The case dates back to allegations by Carroll, an author and former magazine columnist, that Trump sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at a luxury department store in 1996. manhattan.
After publishing her memoir, Carroll publicly accused Trump of carrying out the attack in 2019 while he was president. Trump denied the allegation, saying he did not know Carroll and accusing her of making the allegation for publicity and political reasons.
In 2023, a federal jury in New York found Trump sexually abused Carroll and subsequently defamed her with statements denying her accusations. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
Trump did not attend the trial, in which Carroll testified about the alleged encounter. The judgment covers the following claims sexual abuse and defamation related to Trump’s public comments about Carroll.
What does the judge’s latest order say?
Carroll’s lawyers asked for the money to be released after the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s appeal of the 2023 verdict.
Judge Kaplan’s order allows funds deposited by Trump to be transferred to Carroll while the appeals process continues. This amount has increased to approximately $5.8 million due to accumulated interest.
Lawyers for Trump and Carroll had no immediate comment on the latest developments.
What did Trump say about the ruling?
Trump continues to challenge the verdict and criticize the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear his appeal.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the case a “fake case” and said the Supreme Court’s decision was unexpected. He wrote that he would continue to fight what he called the “weaponization and legal case” against him.
Trump also argued that the case was an attack on future presidents and candidates, writing that “this should never be allowed to happen to another president or candidate.”
Trump is separately appealing an $83 million defamation ruling handed down in January 2024 after a second trial.
