A federal judge ruled Wednesday that writer E. Jean Carroll can collect more than $5.8 million from U.S. President Donald Trump, after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The ruling clears the way for the funds to be released following the Supreme Court's refusal to hear Trump's appeal on June 29.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered the payment of the original $5 million award plus accrued interest since the 2023 verdict. Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, stated, "This is the end of the line. It is time for him to pay Carroll." However, less than an hour after the order, Trump filed an appeal.

A spokesperson for Trump's legal team claimed, "The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes." Trump has consistently denied the allegations, calling the case a "hoax" and a "Witch Hunt."

Carroll first accused Trump in 2019 of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996. She sued for defamation after Trump denied the claim and called it a hoax. A second lawsuit in 2022 alleged battery and defamation over Trump's Truth Social post. In 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, but not rape.

A separate jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in 2024 for defamatory statements Trump made in 2019 while president. Trump is appealing both verdicts. His lawyers have petitioned the Supreme Court to reconsider, arguing that paying the award would cause "irreparable harm" since Carroll plans to donate the money, making recovery difficult if the verdict is overturned.

Source: www.aljazeera.com