Federal judge orders release of $5.8 million Trump owes E. Jean Carroll as lawyer says it's 'the end of the line’

A federal judge has officially ordered the release of more than $5.8 million that Donald Trump owes writer E. Jean Carroll, following a definitive declaration from her legal team that the US president has hit 'the end of the line'.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan signed a decisive two-page order directing the court clerk to immediately disburse the multi-million dollar judgment from an escrow account where the funds have been sitting since Trump lost his bombshell 2023 civil trial.

While a Manhattan jury originally awarded Carroll $5 million after finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, that sum has since ballooned to a staggering $5.8 million due to years of accrued post-judgment interest.

The initial 2023 case stemmed from allegations made by Carroll, an 82-year-old former advice columnist, who testified that what began as a friendly, flirtatious chance encounter with Trump in 1996 at a luxury Manhattan department store turned violent in a dressing room.

Trump, who chose not to attend that first trial, has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming he never knew Carroll, accusing her of trying to sell books, and famously stating in an interview that 'she’s not my type'.

However, while the court ultimately chose to dismiss her allegations that Trump had raped her, it did uphold claims for sexual abuse and defamation, prompting the award for $5 million in damages.

Trump had attempted to appeal the award, but was unsuccessful (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The judge’s ruling comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump’s final bid to review the trial verdict.

In a last-ditch effort to keep a tight grip on the cash, Trump’s legal team filed an emergency motion arguing that releasing the money would cause him 'irreparable harm' because Carroll has publicly stated she intends to donate the funds, making it impossible to recover if he won a future rehearing.

But Judge Kaplan wrote in a blistering memorandum that Trump 'has been stalling this case for years', adding: "It is time for him to 'do equity' and pay the judgment."

Within less than an hour of the order being filed, Trump’s attorneys launched an immediate notice of appeal to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a desperate bid to freeze the transfer.

However, Appellate Judge Eunice C. Lee swiftly rejected the emergency block, clearing the path for the funds to move forward.

Trump must now pay Carroll the original award and interest for the delay (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

"After four years of litigation across every level of the federal court system, it is time for this case to end," Carroll's legal team wrote in court documents.

"Carroll has waited more than three years for a jury's verdict to be paid. She should not have to wait any longer."

She added that this was 'the end of the line' for Trump.

While this brings an end to the 2023 case, Trump’s legal headache with Carroll is far from over. He is still actively fighting to appeal a separate, massive $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to Carroll by a different Manhattan jury in early 2024.