A US judge in Manhattan on Wednesday authorized the release of nearly $5.8 million to writer E. Jean Carroll, allowing her to collect the money tied to a 2023 civil verdict in which a jury found President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.

The order, issued by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, covers the original $5 million award plus interest. Trump filed an appeal less than an hour after the ruling, keeping the dispute alive even as the funds are now cleared for disbursement.

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Supreme Court clears the path

The funds had been held in escrow while Trump challenged the verdict, but the US Supreme Court on June 29 declined to take up his case, removing the final obstacle Carroll had cited in seeking payment.

Trump’s lawyers argued in a Tuesday night filing that Carroll should wait because releasing the money now could cause him “unrecoverable loss” if the Supreme Court later revisited the case and ruled in his favor.

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’s lawyers did not immediately comment.

A dispute years in the making

The ruling adds another chapter to a legal fight that has stretched for nearly seven years, beginning after Carroll publicly accused Trump of raping her around 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan.

Trump has denied the allegation, calling it a “hoax” and a “con job.” Jurors in the case awarded Carroll $5 million based on Trump’s 2022 denial, though they did not find that he raped her.

In a separate case, a different Manhattan jury in January 2024 ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million over defamatory statements he made in 2019, and the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals later declined to throw out that verdict. Trump has said he deserves presidential immunity for that denial.

Money released, battle continues

Carroll’s legal team had pressed for a swift release of the escrowed funds after the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear Trump’s appeal, arguing that the time for delay had ended.

The payment now totals about $5.8 million because of interest accrued while the money remained in a court-controlled account. Trump’s latest petition asks the Supreme Court to rehear his appeal, though the court rarely takes up cases after initially turning them down.

The case remains one of the highest-profile civil disputes involving Trump and Carroll, and the order to release the money marks a significant procedural win for Carroll even as Trump continues to fight the judgment.

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FAQs

Q1: Why is E. Jean Carroll receiving nearly $5.8 million from Donald Trump?

A US judge authorized the release of the money after the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal of the 2023 civil verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll.

Q2: Can Donald Trump still challenge the payment to E. Jean Carroll?

Yes, Trump has appealed the order releasing the funds and is seeking a rehearing before the US Supreme Court.