More than $5 million was transferred to E. Jean Carroll, a significant move in a protracted legal battle with President Donald Trump coming three years after a jury found he had sexually abused and defamed the former magazine writer.
The disbursement of $5,625,005.48 – the damages award plus interest – was ordered by Judge Lewis Kaplan after the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s request to hear the case. Trump tried to stop the payment by arguing it should not go through until the Supreme Court decides whether to rehear his petition, a long-shot gambit that is rarely successful. The Supreme Court has not responded.
The transfer to Carroll’s attorneys was confirmed on the court docket Tuesday.
Carroll’s lawyers said in a court filing that she would use the money to fund her retirement and will “place the award in an interest-bearing account until Defendant’s petition for rehearing is denied.”
Trump’s attorneys are continuing to fight. On Friday, Trump’s lawyers asked a federal appeals court to intervene and stay, or stop the transfer, until the Supreme Court decides whether to reconsider. His lawyers asked the appeals court to issue an injunction if the funds were disbursed and order the transfer of funds back to the court-controlled account while the appeal plays out.
