Judge Lewis Kaplan said the money stays out.
He ordered the payout for E. Jean Carroll. Three-point-eight million in damages? No, the judge ordered $5.8 million. Trump asked for a pause. The court said no.
It is a final slam. A civil verdict from 2023. The jury decided he sexually abused her. They decided he defamed her too. The president wanted to wait on the cash until the Supreme Court settled everything. That logic did not fly.
Kaplan released the funds. Wednesday.
Trump’s team argued differently. They wanted a stay. Their logic? The Supreme Court might reconsider. Maybe they’ll hear the appeal after all. A long shot? Yes. But worth a try? Their filing says so.
The Supreme Court already said no to that exact appeal on June 29.
Wait, you might say, didn’t they just deny it? They did. So Trump’s lawyers asked for a rehearing of that denial. It is a new filing. A desperate loop. Carroll’s lawyers don’t care. She gets the check. Interest included.
Why rush if you might lose? Trump’s team claimed “unrecoverable loss.” The reasoning is weird. Carroll said she’d give it all away. Charity, she told them. If you hand her the money, they can’t claw it back later. If they win on appeal. So, they argued, keep it frozen.
The judge saw through it. Or just ignored the timing issue. The payout stands.
It started back in 2019. An accusation from Carroll. She is 82. She said it happened in a Manhattan department store. The mid-90s. A dressing room. Trump said he never met her.
He was lying about that.
She sued. Twice.
First round in 2023? The verdict was $5 million for the abuse and the initial defamation. A second trial happened in January. The year before this payout? 2024. Another win. Defamation again. The damage here was heavier. $83.3 million.
The money keeps stacking up. The Supreme Court seems stuck. The check clears on Wednesday.
Does the President plan to write one? He probably won’t. Someone else will have to deal with the garnish.
