A U.S. federal judge has ordered the release of nearly 5.8 million dollars to writer E. Jean Carroll after rejecting President Donald Trump’s request to delay payment while he seeks further review of the case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the ruling on Wednesday, authorising the release of more than five million dollars, plus accumulated interest, from the court registry.
Trump had asked the court to withhold the funds until the Supreme Court decided whether to reconsider his challenge to a jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll.
Following the ruling, Trump filed a notice indicating that he would appeal the decision to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team criticised the decision, describing the lawsuits as politically motivated.
“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.
“President Trump will keep winning against liberal lawfare as he continues to focus on his mission to Make America Great Again,” the spokesperson said.
In their court filing, Trump’s lawyers argued that delaying payment until the Supreme Court ruled on his request for a rehearing would not prejudice Carroll because any delay could be compensated through accrued interest if the judgment was upheld.
They also contended that immediate payment would cause irreparable harm to Trump because Carroll had publicly indicated she intended to donate the money, making it difficult to recover if the judgment were later overturned.
Carroll’s legal team, however, urged the court to release the funds after the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s initial appeal challenging the jury’s verdict.
Although the Supreme Court rejected that petition, Trump subsequently filed a request asking the court to reconsider its decision.
The case is one of two civil lawsuits brought against Trump by Carroll.
Trump has also indicated that he plans to ask the Supreme Court to review a separate jury award of 83 million dollars granted to Carroll after another jury found he had defamed her through statements made in 2022.
He has until the end of the month to file that appeal.
