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Federal judge orders release of $5.8M payment to E. Jean Carroll

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

While President Trump was wrapping up his trip to the NATO summit, a federal judge in Manhattan was dealing a blow to one of his private legal appeals. As part of a settlement against Trump, a judge in the Southern District of New York ordered the payout of $5.8 million to writer E. Jean Carroll.

The case stems from Carroll's memoir, in which she described an incident in 1996. Carroll wrote that Trump attacked her in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store. Trump denied it, calling her a liar and claimed he never met her. Carroll sued, and a civil jury found Trump liable of sexual abuse and defamation. Trump appealed, and last week, the Supreme Court rejected his petition.

The case returned to the court in New York, where Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the release of the nearly $6 million from a court-controlled account. The president appealed that almost immediately.

In a separate defamation lawsuit against Trump, E. Jean Carroll was awarded 83 million in early 2024. Trump also continues to appeal that decision.

(SOUNDBITE OF AMERICAN LEGION'S "SHOWERS OF PEACE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

A Martínez is one of the hosts of Morning Edition and Up First. He came to NPR in 2021 and is based out of NPR West.