Donald Trump moves to reclaim $5.8 million judgment from E. Jean Carroll

President Donald Trump has filed a legal request asking a federal appeals court to overturn a $5.8 million defamation judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump argues that Carroll’s decision to invest the award in a retirement account, rather than place it in a court‑controlled account, makes the funds “irretrievable.”

Carroll won a 2023 jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation stemming from a 1996 incident. The Supreme Court declined Trump’s appeal on June 29, and Carroll collected the full award by July 14, according to court records. Trump’s lawyers characterize Carroll’s investment move as a “bait‑and‑switch” and claim the former president faces “irreparable harm.” Carroll’s attorneys counter that the request is procedurally improper and note it represents Trump’s seventh appeal in two related cases, with Judge Lewis Kaplan previously accusing Trump of stalling the proceedings.