buying time so he can try to concoct some new basis to put off paying
More than two years after a jury found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, the $5 million judgment owed to writer E Jean Carroll remains unpaid, held in escrow while Trump's legal team seeks yet more time. The stated reason — a change in counsel — strikes Carroll's attorneys as a thin veil over a deeper strategy: to delay payment while preparing fresh appeals, including a potential Supreme Court petition. It is a familiar rhythm in long legal struggles, where procedure becomes its own form of contest, and where the distance between a verdict and its consequences can stretch across years.
- A jury ruled in 2023 that Trump sexually abused and defamed E Jean Carroll, ordering him to pay $5 million — money that has sat untouched in escrow ever since, now grown to $5.8 million with interest.
- Trump's legal team is requesting a July 14 deadline extension, citing the departure of lead attorney Justin Smith, who left to become a federal judge, and the need to onboard his replacement.
- Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan rejected the explanation outright, arguing Trump had ample time to secure new counsel and that the real motive is to stall while assembling new legal challenges.
- The Supreme Court has already declined to hear Trump's appeal of the sexual abuse judgment, yet his team appears to be preparing petitions tied to both that case and a separate $83 million defamation suit.
- The judge's ruling on the extension request will determine whether the money moves in mid-July or whether the delay stretches further into an already years-long legal standoff.
Donald Trump filed a federal court request this week seeking more time before releasing $5 million to writer E Jean Carroll — money a jury ordered him to pay in 2023 after finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. His legal team pointed to a personnel change: former lead attorney Justin Smith has departed to become a federal judge, and his replacement, Josh Halpern, needs time to familiarize himself with the case. The requested new deadline is July 14.
The funds have been held in escrow since the original judgment and have accumulated to nearly $5.8 million in interest. Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, was unconvinced by the explanation. She argued that Trump had ample opportunity to arrange new counsel and that the timing — coming just ahead of anticipated appeals — revealed the true purpose: buying runway for the next phase of litigation. "We can only assume that Defendant is seeking to buy time so he can try to concoct some new basis to put off paying Plaintiff," Kaplan wrote in her response.
The case stretches back to 1996, when Carroll alleges Trump sexually abused her. She came forward publicly in 2019, and Trump's denials formed the basis of her defamation claim. The 2023 jury sided with her on both counts. Trump has since called the judgments politically motivated and vowed to keep fighting — even after the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal of the sexual abuse ruling.
A separate defamation case, in which Carroll is seeking $83 million, remains pending. Trump's team appears to be preparing petitions asking the Supreme Court to reconsider the original judgment and potentially take up the larger case. Whether the extension is granted or denied, the legal battle shows no sign of resolution — the payment contested, the appeals ongoing, and the distance between verdict and consequence as wide as ever.
President Donald Trump filed a request in federal court this week asking for more time before releasing $5 million to writer E Jean Carroll, money a jury ordered him to pay in 2023 after finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. His legal team cited a familiar reason: a change in personnel. Trump's former lead attorney, Justin Smith, has left to become a federal judge, and his replacement, Josh Halpern, needs time to get up to speed on the case, according to court filings. The deadline Trump's lawyers requested was July 14.
The money has been sitting in an escrow account since the judgment. It has grown to nearly $5.8 million with accumulated interest. Carroll's legal team, led by attorney Roberta Kaplan, did not accept the explanation. In their response, they suggested Trump was using the extension request as cover for something else entirely—a way to stall while preparing new legal maneuvers. Kaplan argued that Trump had plenty of opportunity to hire new counsel and that the timing of the request, coming as it did before anticipated appeals, suggested the real purpose was to delay payment while pursuing fresh challenges to the judgment itself.
The underlying case reaches back decades. In 1996, Carroll alleges, Trump sexually abused her. She remained silent for years, but in 2019, after the #MeToo movement had shifted the landscape, she publicly accused him. Trump denied the allegations and made statements she characterized as defamatory. A jury in 2023 sided with Carroll, finding Trump liable on both counts—the sexual abuse claim and the defamation that followed her accusation. The $5 million judgment was the result.
Trump has not accepted this verdict. He has called the civil judgments politically motivated and vowed to continue fighting. The Supreme Court already declined to hear his appeal of the sexual abuse judgment. But there is a separate defamation case pending, one in which Carroll is seeking $83 million in damages. Trump's team appears to be preparing a petition asking the Supreme Court to reconsider the original judgment and to hear arguments in the larger case as well.
Carroll's attorney saw the extension request in this context. The delay, she suggested, was not really about giving new counsel time to read files. It was about buying runway for the next phase of litigation. "We can only assume that Defendant is seeking to buy time so he can try to concoct some new basis to put off paying Plaintiff presumably in connection with his forthcoming petition and motion for a rehearing," Kaplan said, according to reporting on the filing.
What happens next depends on the judge's decision on the extension request. If granted, Trump gets until mid-July. If denied, the money moves. Either way, the underlying legal battle shows no sign of resolution. Trump continues to deny the allegations. Carroll's team continues to pursue both the payment and the larger defamation claim. The case has become a fixture in the broader landscape of Trump's legal troubles, one of several judgments and pending cases that have accumulated over the past few years.
Citações Notáveis
Trump is seeking to buy time so he can try to concoct some new basis to put off paying before his forthcoming petition and motion for a rehearing— Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would Trump's team ask for a delay if they're planning to appeal anyway? Doesn't that just draw more attention to what they're doing?
It buys time in a practical sense. The money is in escrow, not in Carroll's hands. Every week of delay is another week where Trump hasn't actually paid, and where his lawyers can prepare the next legal argument.
But Carroll's attorney seems to think this is transparent—that everyone can see what's happening. Does that matter?
It matters for the public record and for how a judge views the request. If the judge thinks you're being candid about needing time for legitimate reasons, you get the extension. If the judge thinks you're stalling, the request gets denied. Kaplan is essentially telling the court: this isn't what they're claiming it is.
Has Trump ever actually paid a judgment like this before?
Not in circumstances like these. The escrow account is unusual—it's a holding pattern. The question now is whether Trump's legal strategy can delay long enough to change the underlying judgment through appeals, or whether the money eventually has to move.
What does Carroll get out of this, besides the money?
Vindication, in a sense. The jury found Trump liable. But vindication doesn't pay bills. The money matters. And the fact that Trump keeps fighting, keeps delaying, keeps calling it politically motivated—that's its own kind of statement about whether he accepts any accountability.