E. Jean Carroll Receives $5.6M From Trump After Court Ruling
NEW YORK — Writer Elizabeth Jean Carroll has received more than $5.6 million, including accrued interest, after a federal court ordered President Donald Trump to satisfy a civil judgment stemming from a sexual abuse and defamation case.
According to court records, the payment was released on July 14 from funds Trump had previously deposited with the court while pursuing his appeal. The disbursement comes more than three years after a federal jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll. Trump has consistently denied the allegations and continues to challenge the rulings.
Payment Follows Supreme Court Decision
The payment was made after the U.S. Supreme Court declined on June 29 to hear Trump’s appeal in the case. Carroll subsequently asked a federal court in Manhattan to release the $5 million judgment awarded by the jury, along with accumulated interest, arguing that Trump was unnecessarily delaying payment.
Trump’s attorneys opposed the request, maintaining that they intended to seek a rehearing before the Supreme Court and that the legal process had not yet concluded.
Judge Orders Trump to Pay
On July 8, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ruled that Trump must pay the judgment without further delay.
In his ruling, Kaplan wrote that Trump had delayed resolving the case for years and stated that it was time for him to comply with the court’s judgment. Trump has since appealed that decision, but the funds have already been released to Carroll.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed that her client received the payment and said she was pleased the judgment had finally been satisfied.
Background of the Lawsuit
Carroll alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her inside a department store dressing room during the 1990s. She later sued him for defamation after he publicly dismissed her allegations in 2022, calling them a “con job.”
In 2023, a federal civil jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and rejected the jury’s findings.
Separate $83.3 Million Defamation Case Still on Appeal
Carroll also secured a separate $83.3 million judgment against Trump in 2024 after another Manhattan jury concluded he defamed her in 2019 by denying her allegations and attacking her credibility.
That larger award remains under appeal, and the litigation is ongoing.
The latest payment resolves only the original $5 million judgment, while the second, substantially larger defamation case continues to move through the appellate courts.