Donald Trump is seeking more time to pay $5 million in sexual assault damages to E. Jane Carroll
US President Donald Trump has sought more time to pay the $5 million civil judgment against writer E. Jean Carroll for sexual assault and defamation, a move that Carroll’s legal team described as a move that “appears to be nothing more than just another play to buy time.”The Guardian reported that Trump’s lawyers asked a federal court to extend the deadline until July 14, saying his new lead lawyer, Josh Halpern, needs more time to familiarize himself with the case after former lawyer Justin Smith left to serve as a federal judge.A jury in 2023 found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in 1996 and later defaming her after she publicly accused him in 2019, and awarded her $5 million in damages.
Trump deposited the money in an escrow account, but is seeking to delay the release of the amount, which has now risen to nearly $5.8 million with interest.Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said Trump has plenty of time to hire a new lawyer, and suggested the extension request was intended to buy time before pursuing new legal challenges, including asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider the ruling and hear an appeal in a separate $83 million defamation case.
“We can only assume that the defendant is seeking… to gain time so that he can attempt to formulate a new basis for deferring payment to the plaintiff in relation to his prospective application and motion for a rehearing,” Kaplan was quoted as saying by The Guardian.Trump has consistently denied Carroll’s allegations, called the civil rulings politically motivated, and vowed to continue fighting the case after the Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal.
