Courts Force Trump to Pay Carroll $5.8 Million as Last-Ditch Appeals Fail

Q: With an appeal already denied, what happens if the Supreme Court agrees to a rare rehearing?

If the Supreme Court were to grant the rehearing, the case would no longer be treated as finished. The denial of Trump’s appeal would be reopened, and the judgment would remain in limbo while the justices reconsider whether to leave the denial in place or take the case. In practical terms, that would likely pause any immediate release of the nearly $5.8 million now held as security. Trump’s lawyers are arguing that, under their deposit agreement, Carroll cannot collect while any Supreme Court proceeding is still pending. A granted rehearing would strengthen that argument because the matter would again be active before the Court. Granting rehearing would not mean Trump wins the case. It would only mean the Court has agreed to revisit its earlier refusal to hear the appeal. After that, the justices could still deny review again, or they could grant full review and hear the case on the merits. If they ultimately took the case, briefing and possibly oral argument would follow, extending the timeline further. If the Court later reversed or sent the case back, the $5 million verdict could be affected. If it denied relief again, Carroll would be in a stronger position to seek disbursement of the money plus interest. The key point is that Supreme Court rehearings after a certiorari denial are extraordinarily rare. That is why Carroll’s side says the June 29 denial should end the matter, while Trump’s side is using the rehearing petition to argue the money should stay put for now.

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 9

$5.8 million held in a court account must now be turned over to E. Jean Carroll after a district judge and the 2nd Circuit rejected Donald Trump’s final bids to delay payment.
Those efforts came after the Supreme Court last week refused to hear Trump’s challenge to the 2023 verdict, leaving him little room to keep the money from being released.
The judgment stems from a jury finding Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her after she publicized her allegation that he attacked her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.
Trump is still appealing a separate $83.3 million Carroll defamation judgment from early 2024, but the latest rulings end his fight over the first award and move the case from escrow to payout.