E. Jean Carroll Receives $5.6 Million From Trump After All Appeals Fail

E. Jean Carroll has received $5.6 million in damages from Donald Trump after courts at every level rejected his attempts to block the payment. The funds, which include interest on the original $5 million jury award plus accumulated interest totaling approximately $5.62 million, were released from an escrow account on Monday after the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's appeal on June 29. Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed the payment on Tuesday, stating that the funds will be placed into a retirement account.

The payment resolves the first of two jury verdicts against Trump in Carroll's legal action. In the 2023 civil trial, a jury unanimously found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation after Carroll alleged he assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in 1996 and later defamed her when she made the allegations public in 2019. Trump did not attend the trial and his attorneys called no witnesses. The jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching its verdict.

Trump pursued multiple legal strategies to delay payment after the jury's decision. He deposited the funds into escrow while filing appeals through the federal court system. After the Supreme Court's rejection, Trump made what the trial judge described as "Hail Mary" attempts to forestall payment, including requesting the Supreme Court reconsider its decision and asking for emergency orders to pause the payment. All such requests were denied by courts at every level, including the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote that "it is time for him to 'do equity' and pay the judgment," noting that Trump "has been stalling this case for years."

Carroll, now 82 years old, also awaits payment from a second verdict. In January 2024, a separate jury awarded her $83.3 million after finding Trump liable for making additional defamatory statements about her allegations. Trump is currently pursuing an appeal of that case and has indicated he intends to bring it before the Supreme Court, citing presidential immunity arguments. Trump has consistently denied all allegations and continues to contest the verdicts through ongoing legal proceedings.