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

A Manhattan federal judge ordered the release of $5.8 million held in escrow that President Donald Trump owes writer E. Jean Carroll after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The order came after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review Trump's appeal, letting the 2023 civil verdict stand. Trump's lawyers immediately appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the payment, but were denied an emergency order. The initial $5 million award grew with interest. Trump has also been ordered to pay $83 million in a separate defamation case, which he is appealing.