Judge rejects Trump bid to delay $5.8M payment to E. Jean Carroll
WASHINGTON – A federal judge rejected President Donald Trump's request for more time to respond to New York writer E. Jean Carroll's demand for $5.8 million she won in a civil lawsuit against him.
Carroll asked a federal court in Manhattan on June 30 to order Trump to pay her the money she was awarded when a jury found him liable in 2023 for sexually abusing her and then for defaming her by calling her assault allegations a "con job."
The Supreme Court had denied Trump's request on June 29 to review the jury's decision in the case. Trump asked for more time to respond to Carroll's request.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in New York denied the request in a one-sentence order July 4. Trump must now reply by July 7.
Trump had argued that his 'former lead counsel in the case, Justin Smith, left because of his confirmation as a judge on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Trump said his new lawyer, Josh Halpern, needs time to learn the case.
Carroll said in her June 30 court filing that the judge should direct nearly $5.8 million from Trump her way at this point, including interest that has been accruing while Trump pursued his appeal. Her lawyers argued in a filing that Trump was being "dilatory" and slow-rolling his defenses.
"But this is the end of the line," the lawyers said.
Carroll alleged in her lawsuit that Trump assaulted her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s and then hurt her reputation by attacking her allegations as a "con job" in 2022. Trump has vehemently denied her claims and disputed the Manhattan civil jury's 2023 unanimous verdict.
In a separate case, a Manhattan civil jury also awarded Carroll $83.3 million from Trump in 2024 based on the conclusion that Trump defamed her in 2019 when he first denied her allegations. That appeal is still being litigated.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Judge rejects Trump bid to delay $5.8M payment to E. Jean Carroll
Reporting by Bart Jansen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 4:39 AM.