Judge Approves $5.8m Payout in Trump Abuse Case

A federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday approved the release of $5.8m to columnist E. Jean Carroll, settling the 2023 civil judgment against US President Donald Trump. The amount includes the original damages award and accrued interest.

A jury found Trump liable in 2023 for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll. Although he deposited the money into a court escrow account while appealing the verdict, the US Supreme Court declined to hear the case again on 29 June.

On Tuesday, Trump's legal team asked the court to prevent Carroll from receiving the funds until the Supreme Court ruled on his renewed request to overturn the judgment. The lawyers argued that the president would suffer irreparable harm if Carroll carried out her stated plan to give away the money before the appeals process was complete because it could no longer be recovered.

The defense also argued that releasing the money now would undermine public confidence in the judicial process. It added that both Trump's supporters and critics had expressed concerns about the politically motivated use of the judicial system against the president. The judge rejected those arguments and approved the transfer of the funds.

(Reuters, Max)