A Manhattan federal judge has ordered the release of more than $5.8 million that President Donald Trump owes E. Jean Carroll following her successful 2023 civil verdict for sexual abuse and defamation. Judge Lewis Kaplan’s order directs the disbursement of funds held in a court-controlled escrow account, where the money has been secured since Carroll won her jury verdict three years ago.
The order stems from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on June 29 to decline hearing Trump’s appeal of the verdict. After the Supreme Court refused to review his case, the legal pathway for Trump to block payment effectively closed, clearing the way for the judge to authorize the release.
Carroll, an advice columnist and writer, won the $5 million jury verdict in May 2023 after a Manhattan jury determined that Trump sexually abused her and defamed her through false statements. According to The Guardian, Trump had deposited the $5 million award plus 11 percent interest into a court-controlled account—known as the CRIS system, or Court Registry Investment System—about six weeks after Carroll’s initial victory. With accrued interest over the years, the total amount owed has grown to approximately $5.8 million.
The CRIS system functions as an escrow mechanism during the appeals process, securing funds while legal challenges proceed. Under the agreement between Trump’s and Carroll’s legal teams, Carroll was entitled to collect the money once certain conditions were met, including a Supreme Court refusal to hear Trump’s case—which occurred on June 29, 2026. Trump’s legal team had argued unsuccessfully that the money should remain frozen pending potential further appeals.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, pushed for swift release of the funds after the Supreme Court decision. In court filings, Kaplan argued that “after four years of litigation across every level of the federal court system, it is time for this case to end.” Trump’s lawyers had attempted to delay the disbursement, claiming that if the Supreme Court later agreed to rehear the case and ruled in Trump’s favor, releasing the money would cause an “unrecoverable loss.” However, legal experts told The Guardian that such a scenario is highly unlikely, as the Supreme Court rarely grants petitions for reconsideration.
The case originated when Carroll publicly described the alleged 1996 assault in a 2019 memoir excerpt published in New York magazine. Trump repeatedly denied knowing Carroll and accused her of fabricating the story to promote her book. Carroll sued Trump in 2019 over his defamatory statements, and after New York enacted the Adult Survivors Act in 2022—which created a one-year window for victims to sue for expired sexual assault claims—she filed a separate suit alleging the abuse itself. The first trial, in May 2023, addressed both the sexual abuse and defamation claims and resulted in the $5 million verdict.
Carroll is also pursuing a separate $83.3 million judgment from a January 2024 trial focused on additional defamatory statements Trump made while serving as president. Trump has secured a bond for that larger amount rather than placing it in escrow, and he continues to appeal that verdict as well. Legal experts have indicated that Trump’s remaining options to block payment of the $5.8 million are extremely limited, with any further appeals likely to be unsuccessful.
Sources
- The Guardian — Judge’s order to release funds, Trump’s depositing money in escrow, the CRIS system mechanics, and Carroll’s attorney’s arguments for swift disbursement
- AP News — Judge Lewis Kaplan’s order authorizing payment, the 2023 jury verdict details, and Carroll’s background
