NEW YORK (AP) - Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll has requested that a judge order President Donald Trump to pay her nearly $5.8 million after a jury found that he sexually abused her in the 1990s and subsequently defamed her in 2019. Carroll's legal team filed documents in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, arguing that Trump is unjustly attempting to delay the payment following the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear his appeal regarding the jury verdict from a 2003 civil trial.
The outstanding amount, which has accrued interest, has reached almost $5.8 million. Carroll's lawyers contended that there is no basis for Trump to further delay the disbursement, especially in light of the Supreme Court's clear decision to reject the appeal. They noted that Trump has resumed his disparaging remarks against Carroll while his legal team considers asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling.
In the jury's verdict, delivered during a trial that Trump did not attend, Carroll detailed an incident in the spring of 1996 in which she alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at a luxury department store in midtown Manhattan. The encounter, initially flirtatious and friendly, allegedly escalated into violence. Carroll, now 82, first brought the attack to light publicly in 2019 during Trump's presidency. Trump has consistently denied knowing Carroll and accused her of harboring political motivations and trying to exploit the situation for financial gain.
In a recent social media post, Trump stated his intention to continue fighting what he described as a "Weaponization and Lawfare Case" following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of his appeal. Following Trump's comments, his legal representatives contacted Carroll's attorneys to request a delay in the payment while considering the possibility of asking for a Supreme Court reconsideration. However, Carroll's legal team, led by attorneys Roberta Kaplan, D. Brandon Trice, and Maximilian T. Crema, argued there was no justification for a delay given the Supreme Court's unanimous decision.
The attorneys emphasized that Carroll had previously cooperated with Trump's requests for postponements regarding the money owed to her but argued that such cooperation would end now. They stated, "It is time for him to pay Carroll,” highlighting the extensive efforts Trump has made to evade payments that have been consistently denied by the courts.
In addition to the pending compensation from the jury verdict, Trump is also appealing an $83 million defamation award granted to Carroll from a separate Manhattan jury. This appeal follows a January 2024 trial where the judge, Lewis A. Kaplan, who has no relation to Carroll’s attorney, instructed the jury to accept the findings of the previous jury and simply determine the monetary compensation for Trump’s defamatory statements made while he was president.
As the legal battles continue between Carroll and Trump, the outcome of the case could have significant implications for their respective reputations and the ongoing discourse surrounding issues of sexual assault and defamation within the political landscape.
