It is time for him to 'do equity' and pay the judgement.
Three years after a jury found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, a federal judge has ordered the release of $5 million in damages to writer E. Jean Carroll — rejecting a sustained campaign of legal delays as an exercise in equity long overdue. The ruling arrives in the wake of the Supreme Court's refusal to hear Trump's appeal, and amid a parallel $83 million defamation judgment still winding through the courts. At its core, this moment asks an enduring question about the relationship between power and accountability: whether the machinery of justice, however slowly, can compel even the most insulated figures to answer for what a jury has already decided.
- A $5 million jury verdict sat frozen in a court account for three years while Trump's legal team filed appeal after appeal, seeking every available mechanism to prevent payment.
- Even after the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's case on June 29, his lawyers rushed back to request reconsideration and an emergency stay — moves the trial judge and the 2nd Circuit both rejected swiftly.
- Judge Lewis Kaplan, citing years of deliberate stalling, ordered immediate disbursement and granted Carroll an expedited payment schedule that includes hundreds of thousands in accumulated interest.
- Carroll's attorney called Trump's Supreme Court petition 'gamesmanship' — an attempt to manufacture new legal grounds rather than comply with a verdict rendered more than two years ago.
- A separate 2024 defamation verdict of over $83 million looms in parallel, with Trump now arguing presidential immunity questions link both cases and warrant Supreme Court intervention.
A federal judge has ordered the release of $5 million that has sat in a court-controlled account since a 2023 jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The jury reached its verdict in under three hours, concluding it was more likely than not that Trump had assaulted Carroll in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. Trump has denied the allegations since Carroll first made them public in 2019, calling her account a hoax — denials that themselves became the basis for the defamation claims.
For three years, Trump's legal team fought to keep the funds frozen through a succession of appeals and emergency motions. The effort continued even after the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal on June 29, prompting Carroll's lawyers to move for collection. Trump responded by asking the Court to reconsider and by requesting the trial judge delay payment — both of which U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected. In his written order, Kaplan stated plainly that Trump had been stalling for years and that it was time for him to pay what he owed.
Trump's lawyers immediately appealed and sought an emergency stay from the 2nd Circuit, which was denied quickly. The exact timeline for the transfer remains uncertain, but the judge granted Carroll an expedited schedule covering not just the original $5 million but also substantial accumulated interest. Carroll's attorney characterized the latest Supreme Court filing as 'gamesmanship' designed to buy time rather than engage the merits.
The case runs alongside a second, larger judgment: a 2024 defamation verdict awarding Carroll more than $83 million, also stemming from Trump's public denials. Trump has petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene in that matter too, arguing that questions of presidential immunity overlap between the two cases. Whether the justices will act — or whether the $5 million will finally leave the courthouse and reach Carroll — remains an open question.
A federal judge has ordered the release of $5 million that has sat in a court-controlled bank account for three years—money a jury awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll in 2023 after finding Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The order came despite last-minute legal maneuvers from Trump's lawyers, who filed appeals and sought emergency intervention to keep the funds frozen.
The case traces back to Carroll's allegations that Trump sexually assaulted her in a department store during the 1990s. A jury deliberated for less than three hours before concluding it was more likely than not that the assault occurred. Trump has denied the allegations consistently since Carroll first made them public in 2019, claiming he did not know her, that she was "not my type," and that her account was a "hoax" and a "con." Those denials became central to the defamation portion of her case.
For three years, the $5 million judgment sat untouched while Trump's legal team fought to prevent its release. This week, as the Supreme Court had just declined to hear Trump's appeal of the case on June 29, Carroll's lawyers moved to collect. Trump responded by asking the Supreme Court to reconsider that decision and by requesting that the trial judge delay payment pending further review. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected both approaches. In his written order, the judge noted that Trump "has been stalling this case for years" and concluded it was time for him to "do equity" and pay what he owed. The judge also observed that successful requests for the Supreme Court to rehear a case it has already rejected are extraordinarily uncommon.
Trump's lawyers immediately filed a notice of appeal and sought an emergency stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. That court rejected the request quickly. The timeline for when the funds will actually transfer to Carroll remains unclear, but the judge has granted her request for an expedited payment schedule that includes not just the original $5 million but also hundreds of thousands of dollars in accumulated interest since the 2023 verdict.
Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, characterized Trump's latest Supreme Court effort as "gamesmanship," accusing him of attempting to "buy time so he can try to concoct some new basis to put off paying." The legal arguments Trump raised in his Supreme Court petition centered on whether the trial judge admitted inadmissible evidence during the 2023 trial.
This case exists alongside a second, larger judgment against Trump. In 2024, Carroll won a separate defamation trial that resulted in a jury award of more than $83 million. That verdict also stemmed from Trump's repeated public denials of having abused her. Trump has petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene in that case as well, arguing this week that constitutional questions about presidential immunity overlap between the two matters—specifically, whether certain statements he made during his first term in office should have been shielded from the jury's consideration.
The Supreme Court has not yet responded to Trump's request for reconsideration in either case. What remains to be seen is whether the justices will grant his petition or whether the $5 million judgment will finally move from the courthouse account to Carroll's hands.
Notable Quotes
Trump has been stalling this case for years. It is time for him to do equity and pay the judgement.— U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan
Trump's latest Supreme Court effort is gamesmanship—an attempt to buy time so he can try to concoct some new basis to put off paying.— Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did this money sit in a court account for three years if a jury had already decided the case?
Because Trump's legal team fought every step. They appealed, they filed motions, they tried to keep it frozen. The judge's point was that this wasn't about legitimate legal questions anymore—it was delay tactics.
What changed this week that forced the judge's hand?
The Supreme Court said no. They declined to hear Trump's appeal on June 29. Once that door closed, there was no legal basis left to hold the money. Carroll's lawyers moved immediately to collect.
But Trump asked the Supreme Court to reconsider. Doesn't that create new grounds to wait?
That's what Trump's lawyers argued, yes. But the judge said that's extremely rare—the Supreme Court almost never agrees to rehear something it just rejected. He wasn't going to let the case be held hostage to a long shot.
So there's also an $83 million judgment from 2024?
Right. That one's also about defamation, also about Carroll, also about Trump's denials. He's fighting both of them through appeals, trying to connect them legally so the Supreme Court might take one or both.
What does he actually have left to argue?
In the $5 million case, he's claiming the trial judge let in evidence that shouldn't have been admitted. In the $83 million case, he's arguing presidential immunity—that certain statements he made while in office shouldn't have been shown to the jury. But so far, the courts aren't buying it.