E Jean Carroll receives $5.6 million in sexual abuse case after years-long legal battle with Trump

Writer E Jean Carroll has received more than $5.6 million awarded to her in a civil case against US President Donald Trump, after a federal court released money that had been set aside while he challenged the verdict.The payment includes the $5 million awarded by a New York jury in 2023 along with accumulated interest.

The funds had remained in an escrow account during the appeals process and were released after the US Supreme Court declined to disturb the jury's decision.Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed that the payment had been completed, saying her client had now received the damages awarded by the court, as reported by AP.The dispute stems from a 2023 civil trial in which jurors said that Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the mid-1990s and for later defaming her after she publicly disclosed the allegation.

The case was filed under a New York law that temporarily reopened the window for survivors to pursue decades-old sexual abuse claims through civil lawsuits.Although the funds have now been released, Trump's legal team is continuing its efforts to overturn the verdict. His lawyers had sought an emergency court order to prevent the money from being transferred to Carroll, but the request was rejected.

They have since filed another appeal.Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll's allegations, arguing that the encounter never took place and describing the lawsuit as politically motivated.The president is separately contesting another civil judgment ordering him to pay $83 million in damages to Carroll in a defamation case arising from comments he made after she first accused him publicly.

That appeal remains pending.Catch the latest world news and top headlines. Download the TOI App.