A federal judge in New York has ordered former President Donald Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll a total of nearly $5.8 million, encompassing a $5 million judgment and almost $800,000 in interest. The decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's appeal of a jury's 2023 verdict, which found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll.

In May 2023, a New York jury determined that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and subsequently defamed her in 2022 when he denied her allegations. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. A separate civil trial later established that Trump owes Carroll an additional $83 million for defamation, a judgment that is still navigating the appeals process.

Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the order on Wednesday, directing the clerk of the court to transfer the funds, which Trump had previously deposited into a federal registry to cover the judgment during his appeals, into an account designated for Carroll's legal team. This transfer may have already occurred, though official court records had not yet confirmed it.

Trump's attorneys formally announced their intention to appeal Judge Kaplan's order to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Wednesday. However, it remains uncertain whether this new appeal will halt the disbursement of funds to Carroll, especially given that the same court had previously rejected Trump's initial attempts to appeal the case.

The Supreme Court's decision last month to deny Trump's appeal without dissent marked a significant setback for his legal challenges in this matter. Following this ruling, Carroll's legal team urged a federal judge to compel Trump to pay the judgment, asserting that his lawyers had indicated he might seek reconsideration from the Supreme Court.

Roberta Kaplan, an attorney for E. Jean Carroll, stated in a court filing that after four years of litigation, "it is time for this case to end." She added that according to a stipulation and order, Carroll is now entitled to receive payment for the judgment.

Following the Supreme Court's rejection of his appeal, Trump publicly declared on his social media platform his intent to continue fighting the case. He vowed to use "all of my power and strength" against what he described as a "Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation."

This latest development in the legal battle between Trump and Carroll highlights the ongoing financial consequences stemming from the jury's findings of sexual abuse and defamation, even as Trump continues to pursue further legal avenues.