A federal judge ruled Wednesday that E. Jean Carroll could receive the $5.8 million granted after a 2023 jury found that President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in 1996 and later defamed her when he denied her allegations.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the release of money from a court escrow account, along with interest accrued since the verdict, after the Supreme Court ruling. refused last week to hear the president’s appeal against the sentence.
The move came after Trump’s lawyers sought to delay the payment for at least several more months.
Trump’s lawyers asked the judge to give them more time before releasing the money while they wait to ask the high court reconsider his decision.
Asked about Kaplan’s order, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said in a statement: “The American people stand with President Trump as he demands an immediate end to all witch hunts, including the Democrat-funded parody of the Carroll hoaxes.” »
Carroll’s lawyers said their client, whom Trump was convicted of sexual abuse and defamation, had already waited long enough.
The case stems from a lawsuit Carroll filed in New York in 2022 alleging that Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store after a chance meeting in 1996. The defamation allegations stemmed from comments he made about her after her first term, including calling her claims a “scam” and a “hoax.” He maintains that he does not know Carroll and that he did not commit any wrongdoing.
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