A New York federal appeals court has denied Donald Trump’s request to prevent E. Jean Carroll from collecting the $5 million damages awarded in her sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit. This ruling followed Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Kaplan’s order for the immediate disbursement of nearly $5.8 million to Carroll, brushing aside Trump’s arguments for further delay after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal in June. Judge Kaplan emphasized Trump’s history of stalling, stating, “It is time for him to ‘do equity’ and pay the judgment.”
A New York federal appeals court delivered a significant blow to former President Donald Trump on Wednesday night, denying his request to prevent writer E. Jean Carroll from collecting the $5 million in damages, plus interest, awarded to her in a landmark sexual abuse and defamation verdict.
This decisive rejection by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came mere hours after Manhattan federal District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan authorized Carroll to receive nearly $5.8 million. These funds had been deposited by Trump with the court years ago to satisfy the May 2023 jury award.
Trump's legal team swiftly appealed Judge Kaplan's order, urgently petitioning the appeals court to stay the release of the money to Carroll. However, the 2nd Circuit's order was unequivocal: "It is hereby ordered that the motion for administrative stay is denied."
While this ruling does not delve into the merits of Trump's underlying appeal of Kaplan's order, its immediate effect is profound: the disbursement of funds can now proceed. Although the appeals court will later consider Trump's arguments, potentially leading to Carroll being ordered to return the money in a highly unlikely scenario, the current decision paves the way for payment.
Trump still retains the option to ask the Supreme Court to block the disbursement order, though his legal team has not yet confirmed if he will pursue this avenue.
Judge Kaplan, in his earlier order to release the funds, emphasized the clear terms of an agreement between Carroll and Trump. This agreement stipulated that Carroll should receive the damage award once the Supreme Court denied Trump's request to hear his appeal of the sexual abuse and defamation verdict – a denial that occurred on June 29.
In a detailed memorandum explaining his decision, Kaplan underscored that "disbursement of funds would not cause defendant irreparable harm," noting Trump's long history of attempting to delay the case since Carroll first filed suit. "In the highly unlikely event that the Supreme Court were to (i) grant defendant's petition for rehearing, (ii) reverse itself and grant his previously denied cert. petition, and (iii) reverse the judgment in this case, defendant could bring suit to recover any funds erroneously disbursed," Kaplan wrote, minimizing the risk to Trump.
Kaplan further admonished Trump, stating, "In the last analysis, defendant has been stalling this case for years...A jury unanimously concluded that he sexually abused and defamed plaintiff and awarded her damages accordingly. The judgment on that verdict has been upheld on appeal. En banc rehearing has been denied. The Supreme Court has denied certiorari without dissent."
The judge concluded definitively: "It is time for him to 'do equity' and pay the judgment."
Kaplan's order explicitly rejected arguments from Trump's attorneys, Josh Halpern and Michael Madaio, who claimed Carroll could not be paid while Trump's new, "long-shot" bid for reconsideration of his Supreme Court appeal petition was pending. Such requests for rehearing are exceedingly rare after an initial petition has been denied by the highest court.
A spokesman for Trump's legal team issued a statement following Kaplan's order, asserting, "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. President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he continues to focus on his mission to Make America Great Again."
Trump's lawyers had also argued against immediate payment by citing language in the 2023 agreement that allows Trump to be repaid if the verdict is reversed. They expressed concern that Carroll, who has stated intentions to donate the funds, might distribute the money to third parties, making recovery difficult.
Additionally, Trump's related petition to the Supreme Court for a rehearing hinges on his argument that if he is granted immunity in another ongoing lawsuit by Carroll – concerning statements he made about her while president – it could undermine the $5 million verdict. Trump also lost that separate case, with a jury ordering him to pay Carroll $83.3 million in damages in January 2024 for defaming her in 2019.
Both verdicts were listed as liabilities on Trump's 2025 financial disclosure report, released on June 30.
Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan (no relation to the judge), vigorously argued in a June 30 filing that her client was entitled to the award plus interest now that the Supreme Court had rejected Trump's petition without dissent. "This is the end of the line," she told Judge Kaplan. "It is time for him to pay Carroll." She added that a petition for rehearing is "likely to fail" and requiring Carroll to endure further delay would be "profoundly unfair and undermine the public interest."
