Judge orders Trump to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $5 million after delays

A federal judge in New York has ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $5 million plus interest to writer E. Jean Carroll, enforcing a 2023 civil verdict. Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the order on Wednesday, directing that the funds, held in a court-controlled bank account for over three years, be "disbursed" to Carroll. The total amount is approximately $5.8 million.

Kaplan's decision thwarted a last-minute effort by Trump's lawyers to delay the payment. They had argued that Trump's recent petition to the Supreme Court for a case re-evaluation constituted "pending proceedings" that should halt the disbursement. However, the Supreme Court had already rejected Trump's appeal of the original verdict on June 29.

Trump's defense filed another appeal on Monday, seeking the Supreme Court's review of the case. This move allowed them to argue for a stay on the payment, an argument Kaplan rejected with his latest order. The case stems from Carroll's accusations that Trump sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. In addition to the $5 million awarded for sexual abuse and defamation, Carroll also won a separate defamation case against Trump, resulting in an $83 million penalty that he is also contesting.