Judge Denies Trump Request to Delay $5 Million Carroll Payment While Rehearing Petition Remains Pending

A federal judge on July 4 denied President Trump's request to delay payment of a $5 million civil judgment to E. Jean Carroll. The award stems from a 2023 federal jury finding that President Trump sexually abused and defamed Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist who accused him of assaulting her inside a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s.

The $5 million award, held in a court-monitored escrow account, has grown with interest to $6.4 million, according to President Trump's legal team. In a late-night Tuesday filing in Manhattan federal court, President Trump's lawyers argued that Carroll should wait until the Supreme Court fully decides whether to rehear the case.

They said immediate payment would create an "unrecoverable loss" of millions of dollars and cause the president "irreparable harm" if Carroll distributes the funds.

The Supreme Court rejected President Trump's appeal last week. A Tuesday docket entry stated the justices have "not accepted" his latest filing. On July 3, Carroll's side stated they assume President Trump is trying to "buy time so he can try to concoct some new basis to put off paying" her.

A separate 2024 jury ordered President Trump to pay Carroll an additional $83 million in defamation damages. A federal appeals court rejected his appeal of that verdict. President Trump is separately asking the Supreme Court to overturn the $83 million award with assistance from the Justice Department, which has filed a brief claiming "good cause" to pause the case and argue his immunity claims.