A federal judge has ordered the release of $5.8 million held in escrow after a jury determined that a writer was sexually abused and later defamed by former President Donald Trump, a decision that advances a long-running legal dispute into a new stage. The funds — originally awarded in 2023 and increased by interest — are set to be transferred despite immediate appeals from Trump’s legal team.
The money was deposited into a court account after the 2023 verdict. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan authorized the payout after higher courts left the civil judgment intact, saying the plaintiff should not be forced to wait any longer for the jury’s decision to be honored.
Trump’s attorneys asked appellate courts for emergency relief to stop the transfer and said they will continue to press appeals, arguing the case remains subject to further review — including a request to the Supreme Court. Late Wednesday, Judge Eunice C. Lee of the Second Circuit declined to halt the payment.
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Why this matters now
The release of the escrowed funds is significant because it demonstrates how civil judgments against high-profile figures can be enforced even as legal challenges continue. For survivors and plaintiffs more broadly, it underscores the possibility of financial recovery once verdicts are finalized. For Trump, the ruling is another chapter in a series of civil cases that have produced both legal and reputational consequences.
The underlying case centers on allegations that the writer — a well-known former columnist — was assaulted in a Manhattan department-store dressing room in 1996 and then defamed after she published a memoir in 2019 describing the incident. A jury found in her favor on both the assault and defamation claims. Trump repeatedly denied the accusations and has characterized them as false; he did not attend the trial that produced the original verdict.
Separate from the escrowed sum, a Manhattan jury awarded the writer $83 million after a 2024 damages trial that narrowed its focus to statements made while Trump was president. In that proceeding, the judge instructed jurors to accept earlier findings and to determine damages tied to the public comments. Trump has appealed that award as well.
- Immediate effect: The plaintiff will receive the escrowed amount, previously set aside after the 2023 verdict.
- Ongoing appeals: Trump’s legal team continues to pursue relief in federal appeals and has sought Supreme Court review.
- Legal precedent: The enforcement action may be cited in future efforts to collect judgments against public figures.
- Survivor access: The case illustrates how changes to statutes of limitations and civil procedures can affect long-standing allegations.
- Political context: The rulings and appeals intersect with broader public debate over accountability, defamation and how courts weigh historical allegations.
In written filings, the writer’s attorneys urged the appeals court to end the drawn-out process, noting she has waited years for the jury’s award to be paid. The judge who ordered the payment said the defendant had been delaying resolution and that equitable relief required enforcement of the judgment.
Judges on the appeals court have also described the personal consequences faced by the plaintiff after the president’s public statements, finding that she endured harassment and threats linked to those remarks. One appellate judge noted the defendant persisted in attacking the plaintiff during and after the trials.
With the escrow release moving forward, the litigation’s central disputes remain unresolved: the administration of damages awards, the scope of permissible defenses in civil trials, and the extent to which appellate and Supreme Court review can alter or pause enforcement. The case will likely continue to wind through appeals even as this payment is finalized.
