Trump Files Appeal Against $5.8 Million Payment to E. Jean Carroll

Former President Donald Trump has submitted an appeal to contest a federal judge's order requiring him to pay $5.8 million to writer E. Jean Carroll. The appeal was filed on Wednesday following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, which allowed Carroll to collect the payment stemming from a jury's finding that Trump sexually abused and defamed her. Carroll was initially awarded $5 million, a figure that has increased due to interest. Trump's legal team has argued that he should not have to pay until a renewed Supreme Court appeal regarding the case is resolved. In a jury trial in 2023, Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in 1996 and subsequently defaming her in a memoir published in 2019. The Supreme Court recently declined to hear Trump's appeal of the verdict, marking a significant legal setback for him.