Lawyers for Donald Trump asked a judge on Friday to sign off on an agreement with E. Jean Carroll’s attorneys to transfer $5.5 million to a court-controlled account in a step toward satisfying the judgment from the defamation lawsuit.
The agreement is Trump’s first step toward paying Carroll after a jury awarded her $5 million in damages after finding Trump sexually abused and defamed Carroll. Courts often require 111% of an award while a judgment is on appeal.
As part of the agreement, which requires approval from the judge and could be modified, Carroll would not have access to the funds until after all appeals, including potentially to the US Supreme Court, are satisfied.
Trump’s attorneys said they currently have the $5.5 million set aside in a trust account. A federal judge approved the plan late Friday.
Trump’s attorneys have asked the judge for a new trial and have appealed the judgment.
Carroll is also suing Trump for defamation relating to statements he made in 2019 denying her claims that he raped her in a department store in the mid-1990s.
The 2019 lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial next year, although there are still several legal issues outstanding. Carroll is seeking more than $10 million in that case in part because Trump repeated statements the jury found to be defamatory after the verdict.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
