E. Jean Carroll Awarded $5.8 Million in Escrow by Federal Judge
The writer E. Jean Carroll has been granted the ability to collect $5.8 million held in escrow following a federal jury’s decision that former President Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed her, as ruled by a federal judge on Wednesday. Trump’s legal team has promptly requested the court to halt the payment pending their appeal.
Donald Trump had already transferred the funds into an escrow account. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 2023 civil verdict, allowing Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to authorize the release of the money, which has increased due to accumulated interest.
The jury concluded that Trump had assaulted Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996 and subsequently defamed her following her public recounting of the incident in a 2019 memoir during Trump’s presidency. Trump denied the allegations, stating in an interview, “she’s not my type.”
Trump’s attorneys announced plans to continue their appeal efforts, accusing political adversaries of exploiting the legal system against him. They are seeking intervention from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to prevent the payment. Carroll’s legal representatives have not yet provided a response to requests for comments.
The jury’s decision was reached after Carroll testified about a seemingly flirtatious encounter with Trump, which she claimed turned violent. Trump, who did not attend the trial, asserted that he had never met Carroll, now 82, and accused her of attempting to gain publicity and sales for her book by making false accusations.
Carroll filed a lawsuit against Trump after New York revised its laws, offering sexual abuse survivors new opportunities to sue for historical incidents of abuse.
In another legal case, Trump is appealing an $83 million defamation award granted to Carroll by a different Manhattan jury after a 2024 trial in which Trump briefly testified. During this trial, the jury was required to consider the findings of the previous jury and decide solely on the financial compensation owed by Trump for his comments about Carroll during his presidency.
Trump’s defense team raised objections that the judge’s rules for the damages trial prevented them from arguing that the alleged encounter never occurred. When the 2nd Circuit declined a rehearing of the $83 million award appeal, Circuit Judge Denny Chin pointed out that Trump had repeatedly accused Carroll of lying for personal and political gain, even suggesting her lack of attractiveness precluded the possibility of assault.
Judge Chin noted that Carroll endured harassment, humiliation, and threats to her safety due to Trump’s statements, emphasizing that Trump exhibited no remorse, continuing his attacks on Carroll throughout and after the trials. Chin highlighted Trump’s declaration during the Carroll I trial that he would continue to defame her “a thousand times.”
