Trump sets aside money for E. Jean Carroll verdict as he appeals

Former President Trump made a step in completing his $5 million payment to author E. Jean Carroll on Friday by moving the money into a court-ordered bank account.

According to the agreement between Trump and Carroll, which was approved by a judge on Friday, the money will not be accessible until all appeals are settled.

A judge ruled last month that the former president was liable for sexual assault related to an encounter with Carroll at a department store in the 1990s.

A nine-member jury found Trump did not commit rape, but jurors found him liable for sexual abuse, another form of sexual battery. He also was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.

The columnist sued Trump for defamation for denying her claims after a New York law went into effect providing survivors a one-year window to seek civil damages, even after a statute of limitations has passed.

Trump has appealed the ruling, but placing 111 percent of the award in a court account is standard procedure during that process.

Carroll’s separate defamation claim for $10 million is scheduled to go to trial next year.