New Delhi, July 9 -- A US judge on Wednesday ordered President Donald Trump to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $5 million after a civil jury found that he sexually assaulted and defamed her. Trump's lawyers immediately asked a court to block the payment while they appeal.

The president has already deposited the money in an account. The U.S. Supreme Court recently let the 2023 civil verdict stand, clearing the way for Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to release the money. The initial $5 million award has grown with interest.

Trump's attorneys said Wednesday they would continue to appeal, and accused his political opponents of using the legal system against him. They want 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the payment.

Last week, the US Supreme C...