Judge clears E. Jean Carroll to collect $5.8M from Trump in abuse case

A federal judge in New York ruled on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, that writer E. Jean Carroll is entitled to collect $5.8 million held in a court-monitored escrow account. The funds stem from a 2023 civil verdict in which a jury found that President Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed Carroll. The initial $5 million judgment has grown to approximately $5.8 million due to interest accrued over three years, though the president's legal team has suggested the current balance is $6.4 million.

U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan issued the order following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 29 decision to decline an appeal regarding the 2023 verdict. In a memorandum explaining his decision, Judge Kaplan wrote that the president “has been stalling this case for years” and concluded: “It is time for him to 'do equity' and pay the judgement.” The funds were originally deposited by Trump into the court-controlled account during the appeals process. While Carroll’s legal team requested the release of the money after the Supreme Court's refusal to hear the case, Trump’s lawyers sought to prevent the payout, arguing that the court should wait until the Supreme Court decides whether to grant a petition for a rehearing of its denial.

Attorneys for the president immediately challenged the order. In a filing, they argued that Trump would face an "unrecoverable loss" and "irreparable harm" if the money were released now, noting that Carroll has expressed plans to donate the funds. They further argued that the 2023 case and a separate 2024 defamation case—in which a jury awarded Carroll $83 million—are legally intertwined, as both rely on statements Trump made while president. Trump’s lawyers contend that the Supreme Court's ruling in 2024 regarding presidential immunity should protect him from liability in these matters. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals quickly rejected the president’s request for an emergency stay on Wednesday.

The underlying legal dispute stems from Carroll’s 2019 memoir, in which she described an encounter with Trump in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. The 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her after he described her allegations as a "hoax" and stated "she's not my type." Trump, who did not attend the 2023 trial, has consistently denied the allegations, accusing Carroll of having political motives and trying to sell books at his expense. His attorneys have accused political opponents of using the legal system against him.

The conflict surrounding these payments coincides with ongoing legal battles. Trump is currently appealing the separate $83 million defamation verdict, in which a jury was instructed to accept the findings of the first jury and determine damages for comments Trump made while president. Circuit Judge Denny Chin, in a previous 2nd Circuit filing, noted that Trump had shown no remorse, continuing his attacks against Carroll even after the trials began. The Department of Justice has also attempted to step into the $83 million case to argue on Trump's behalf regarding immunity. As of July 9, 2026, the Supreme Court had not accepted the president's latest filing regarding a rehearing of the 2023 verdict.