A federal judge has ordered the release of more than $5 million owed by US President Donald Trump to writer E. Jean Carroll after rejecting his bid to delay payment while he sought further review from the US Supreme Court.
A federal judge has ordered the release of more than $5 million, plus accrued interest, that US President Donald Trump deposited into a court-controlled account following a 2023 civil verdict finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the order on Wednesday, directing that the funds be released after the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's appeal of the jury's verdict.
Trump had sought to delay the payment while asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its refusal to review the case.
The judge did not specify when the funds would be transferred to Carroll.
The money had remained in a court-controlled account throughout the appeals process after Trump deposited the original damages award following the May 2023 verdict.
With accrued interest, the total amount now stands at approximately $5.8 million.
Trump's legal team argued that postponing the payment would not harm Carroll because any delay would be offset by interest.
His attorneys also argued that the president could face "irrecoverable loss" if Carroll distributed the funds before any future ruling in his favor.
Following Judge Kaplan's order, Trump filed paperwork indicating he is appealing the decision.
A spokesperson for Trump's legal team said, "The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes."
Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan and later defaming her by denying the allegations.
A New York jury in 2023 found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, while Trump has consistently denied the allegations and any wrongdoing.
The Supreme Court recently declined to review Trump's appeal after lower courts upheld the verdict.
The case is one of two civil lawsuits brought by Carroll against Trump.
In a separate 2024 case, another jury awarded Carroll nearly $84 million after finding Trump liable for additional defamatory statements.
Trump has indicated he also intends to seek Supreme Court review of that judgment.