E. Jean Carroll Receives $5.6 Million in Damages from Donald Trump Lawsuit
E. Jean Carroll, a renowned writer, has received over $5.6 million following a jury’s decision in her lawsuit against former President Donald Trump for sexual abuse and defamation, according to court documents and her legal representatives.
The funds, which include the $5 million awarded by the jury plus interest, were released on Monday from an escrow account where they had been held since the 2023 verdict, as documented in court records. Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed the successful transfer of the payment on Tuesday.
“We are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment,” Kaplan stated.
Despite the payment, Trump’s legal team plans to continue their appeals. Trump had initially placed the money in escrow shortly after the jury’s decision, which was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, allowing Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to authorize the release of the funds.
Trump’s lawyers attempted to secure an emergency order to prevent the payment, but it was denied. The court’s brief decision did not impose any restrictions on how Carroll could use the money, and her legal team has indicated it will be allocated to a retirement account. Another appeal has been filed by Trump’s attorneys seeking to halt or reverse the payment.
The jury concluded that Trump assaulted Carroll in 1996 in a department store dressing room in New York and later defamed her when she recounted the incident in a memoir published in 2019, during Trump’s presidency.
Trump has consistently denied any misconduct, asserting that “nothing sexual happened” and labeling Carroll’s allegations as false. In a 2019 interview, he claimed she was “not my type” and dismissed their past acquaintance, as evidenced by a 1987 photograph, as insignificant. He further accused Carroll of pursuing a political agenda and attempting to profit from book sales at his expense.
Carroll brought the lawsuit against Trump after New York amended its laws, providing survivors of sexual abuse a renewed opportunity to file claims for incidents that occurred long ago.
In addition to this case, Trump is appealing a separate $83 million defamation award granted to Carroll by another Manhattan jury after a trial in 2024, during which Trump provided brief testimony.
The Associated Press typically does not name individuals alleging sexual abuse, but Carroll has consented to be identified.
