Federal Judge Orders Release of $5.8M Trump Owes E. Jean Carroll in Sexual Abuse and Defamation Case

Jul 8, 2026

On July 8, 2026, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered the release of $5.8 million to E. Jean Carroll from a court-controlled escrow account. The payout follows the Supreme Court's refusal to hear Donald Trump's appeal of the 2023 civil verdict, which found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Although Trump's legal team immediately appealed the disbursement order and warned of irreparable harm, appellate Judge Eunice C. Lee rejected their emergency request to block the transfer.

Carroll judgment fund release

▪The initial $5 million jury award grew to $5.8 million due to an 11 percent court-ordered interest accrual over three years.
▪U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered the release of $5.8 million to E. Jean Carroll on July 8, 2026.

Trump appeal efforts

▪Donald Trump's lawyers argued that releasing the funds would cause irreparable harm because E. Jean Carroll plans to donate the money, making it unrecoverable.
▪Donald Trump's legal team appealed Judge Lewis A. Kaplan's disbursement order less than an hour after it was issued on July 8, 2026.
▪Judge Eunice C. Lee of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Donald Trump's emergency request to block the $5.8 million payment transfer.

Carroll defamation verdicts

▪A separate Manhattan jury in 2024 awarded E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million for defamatory statements Donald Trump made during his presidency.
▪A civil jury in 2023 found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in 1996 and defaming her in subsequent public denials.
▪E. Jean Carroll sued Donald Trump under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which opened a one-year window for expired sexual abuse claims.

Court registry investment system

▪Donald Trump deposited the initial $5 million award into the Court Registry Investment System in June 2023 while appealing the verdict.
▪The Court Registry Investment System secures litigation awards in escrow to prevent losers of court cases from hiding or shielding funds.

Legal expert appeal analysis

▪Legal experts stated that the U.S. Supreme Court rarely grants petitions for rehearing, making Donald Trump's final appeal effort highly unlikely to succeed.
▪Attorney Bryan Sullivan stated that Donald Trump's case lacks the constitutional questions or circuit splits typically required for Supreme Court review.