Judge Clears Way for E Jean Carroll to Collect $5.8m After Supreme Court Refusal
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan orders release of $5.8m to E Jean Carroll after the Supreme Court declined Trump’s appeal on June 29, 2026; new appeals follow.
E Jean Carroll will be able to collect the roughly $5.8 million awarded after a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and related defamation, a federal judge ruled on July 8, 2026. The decision follows the Supreme Court’s refusal on June 29, 2026 to hear Trump’s appeal, prompting Carroll’s legal team to seek immediate release of the funds. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said the time had come for enforcement of the jury’s award, clearing the path for payment of the original $5 million verdict plus accrued interest.
Judge Clears Way for E Jean Carroll to Receive $5.8m
Judge Kaplan’s order directs that the original $5 million award granted by a 2023 jury, together with interest accumulated since the verdict, be paid to Carroll. Her lawyers had filed for release of the funds after the Supreme Court declined to take up Trump’s appeal, arguing there were no remaining legal barriers to enforcement. The sum now due to Carroll is calculated to include interest, bringing the total to more than $5.8 million.
Court Order Specifies Original Award Plus Accrued Interest
The court’s calculation applies statutory interest to the original jury award beginning from the date of the 2023 verdict through the present. Kaplan’s written order formalizes the clerk’s authority to transmit the money, subject only to any stay that might be granted following a timely appeal. Carroll’s counsel, led by Roberta Kaplan, urged immediate payment and wrote in filings that “it is time for him to pay Carroll,” describing the ruling as the end of the line for procedural delay.
Trump Files Immediate Appeal and Seeks Reconsideration
Less than an hour after the judge issued the order, Trump’s legal team filed an appeal challenging the release of funds and asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its June 29, 2026 refusal to hear the case. Trump’s lawyers argued a fresh appeal is necessary because Carroll has stated she plans to donate the award, which they say could cause “irreparable harm” by making recovery impossible if the verdict is later overturned. A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team also framed the ruling as part of broader political attacks he has decried as “witch hunts.”
Chronology of Allegations and Prior Verdicts
Carroll first went public with the allegation in 2019 in a memoir, saying she was sexually assaulted by Trump in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996. Trump denied the claim, called it a “hoax,” and made public statements that Carroll said defamed her reputation. A jury in 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and for defamation tied to comments he made after 2022; the jury did not find him liable for rape. Separately, a 2024 jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million for defamatory statements from 2019, a judgment that remains under appeal.
Ongoing Legal Battles: Immunity Claims and Criminal Inquiries
Trump continues to contest both civil verdicts through appeals and legal filings, arguing in the case tied to the 2019 comments that those statements were made while he served as president and are therefore covered by presidential immunity. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has opened an inquiry related to Carroll’s testimony to examine allegations of perjury, a development Carroll’s attorneys have disputed. These parallel legal tracks mean the litigation landscape remains fluid even as enforcement of the $5.8 million award moves forward.
Enforcement Practicalities and Potential Outcomes
The immediate effect of Judge Kaplan’s order is to permit the funds to be disbursed, but enforcement could be delayed if a higher court issues a stay pending resolution of Trump’s new appeals. Trump’s lawyers have signaled plans to press for stays and expedited review, citing potential irrecoverability should Carroll donate the money. Conversely, Carroll’s team has argued that further delay undermines the finality of jury verdicts and deprives their client of lawful compensation for the harms found by jurors.
The legal battle involving E Jean Carroll and Donald Trump remains an active and evolving matter with multiple appeals and motions likely to play out in the coming weeks and months. For now, Judge Kaplan’s July 8, 2026 order implements the jury’s 2023 award plus accrued interest following the Supreme Court’s June 29, 2026 decision not to hear the case, even as the parties continue to contest enforcement and other related judgments.