E. Jean Carroll receives $5.62 million judgment payment from Donald Trump

Writer E. Jean Carroll has been paid the $5.62 million judgment that a 2023 federal jury awarded her for sexual abuse and defamation claims against President Donald Trump. The payment, which includes accrued interest, was released after the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal on June 29, allowing the funds held in a court-controlled account to be disbursed.

Carroll announced the receipt of the money in a post on her Substack blog, thanking members of her legal team, including attorney Alina Habba. Her lead counsel, Roberta Kaplan, said the payment fulfills the jury’s verdict.

The nine-person jury had found that Trump forcibly inserted his fingers into Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in New York City, a claim Carroll first made public in 2019. The jury awarded $5 million in damages, which later grew to $5.62 million with interest. While the jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, it rejected the rape allegation, citing the higher evidentiary standard required under New York law.

Trump has continued to deny the allegations and is pursuing appeals in related defamation cases, including a separate verdict that awarded Carroll an additional $83 million. His legal team has sought further delays, prompting Kaplan to describe the tactics as “gamesmanship” and to request that the trial judge expedite the release of the funds.