Judge Orders Release of the $5.8 Million Trump Owes E. Jean Carroll

On July 8, 2026, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the release of roughly $5.8 million held in escrow to E. Jean Carroll, three years after a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded her $5 million. The award grew with court-ordered interest while the money sat in escrow during appeals. The Supreme Court recently declined to disturb the 2023 civil verdict, clearing the way for payment. Trump's lawyers had asked that the funds remain in escrow while a rehearing petition remained pending; Kaplan rejected that, saying Trump "has been stalling this case for years." Trump's attorneys appealed within an hour of the ruling.

The order marks the point at which a civil judgment against a sitting president actually results in payment, after years of appellate delay. It also sits alongside a Justice Department criminal investigation opened into Carroll in May 2026 over her deposition testimony.

The funds were ordered released; Trump's appeal of that release order was filed immediately and remains pending.