Judge Orders Release Of $5.8 Million To E. Jean Carroll After Supreme Court Declined Donald Trump’s Appeal In Sex Abuse…

A federal judge ordered the release of $5.8 million held in an escrow account to writer E. Jean Carroll after the Supreme Court declined to take Donald Trump‘s appeal of a jury’s judgment that he was liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the order on Wednesday, despite efforts by Trump’s attorneys to hold off on the disbursement as they pursue a rehearing before the Supreme Court, which declined their petition last month. Those rehearings, though, are very rare.

The funds represent a jury’s $5 million judgment, plus interest, after a 2023 trial. The funds were held in an account controlled by the court for more than three years.

After Kaplan’s most recent order, Trump’s legal team filed an appeal.

The jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store in 1996, and later claiming that her allegations were false.

In a separate proceeding, a Manhattan jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages after finding Trump liable for defamation. Trump’s legal team is appealing that verdict to the Supreme Court as well.