$5.8M already disbursed; $83M judgment still in play
Donald Trump has agreed to drop his Second Circuit appeal of the disbursement of E Jean Carroll’s $5 million verdict in her 2023 sexual abuse and defamation civil trial, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit disclosed Tuesday. The move is procedural — the $5.8 million in court-administered funds had already been released to Carroll in July — but it formally closes the appellate track on the 2023 monetary award.
In a brief mandate, the Second Circuit wrote that “the parties stipulate to dismiss this appeal with prejudice … and [Trump] withdraws his motion for a stay pending appeal.” The court separately stated: “The stipulation is SO ORDERED. The stay motion … is deemed WITHDRAWN.”
Court records dated July 14 show that the $5.8 million in court-administered funds was released to Carroll on July 9. Manhattan federal court Judge Lewis Kaplan had ordered the disbursement on July 8, after the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29 declined to review Trump’s challenge to the 2023 jury verdict. Less than an hour after Kaplan’s order, Trump asked the Second Circuit to grant him a stay so he could fight the disbursement mandate; the appeals court rejected that request.
The U.S. Supreme Court in August rejected for a second time Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2023 verdict, denying his request for rehearing.
Neama Rahmani, founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, said the latest filing amounts to a final concession. “He’d previously given up in district court, now he’s given up in circuit court,” Rahmani said. “It’s a final nail in the coffin. There’s absolutely no way Trump can go after Carroll for this five million plus dollars.”
A separate and much larger fight continues. Trump is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out an $83 million judgment against him for defaming Carroll in her January 2024 civil trial.
Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said: “The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes. President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he continues to focus on his mission to Make America Great Again.”
The $5 million verdict was awarded to Carroll in a 2023 civil trial against Trump on sexual abuse and defamation claims. The $83 million judgment was awarded against Trump in a separate January 2024 defamation civil trial.