NEW YORK, July 14 - E. Jean Carroll has received nearly $5.63 million from Donald Trump, according to court records, marking the first time a jury-awarded payment from her cases against the president has been collected. The sum, which reflects the original $5 million civil verdict plus accrued interest, was transferred to Carroll's law firm on Monday despite objections from Trump's legal team.
The disbursement took place five days after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan authorized payment from a court-supervised account. The authorization and subsequent release came after a 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll.
Carroll has now secured $88.3 million in civil verdicts against Trump over seven years. Those awards stem from claims that he denied raping her around 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan; Trump has repeatedly rejected her account.
In response to the payment, a spokesperson for Trump's legal team reiterated statements made after Judge Kaplan's decision, saying: "The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes." Trump has publicly called Carroll's allegations a hoax, denied knowing her, suggested she fabricated the alleged rape to boost sales of her memoir, and characterized the litigation as "weaponization and lawfare."
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Trump related to the $5 million verdict, clearing the way for enforcement of that portion of the judgment. Despite that development, Trump's lawyers sought further relief at the federal appeals level.
Last week, an attorney for Trump asked a federal appeals court to block the disbursement. The filing argued the president would suffer "irreparable harm" if Carroll fulfilled her stated plan to donate portions of the funds, asserting that money given away could not be recovered. The lawyer also maintained that Carroll's present assurance she would deposit the funds in an interest-bearing account for retirement did not eliminate the risk she might later distribute the money.
The $5 million awarded by the 2023 jury was tied to a Trump denial in 2022; jurors did not find that Trump raped Carroll. Separately, a different jury in 2024 ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million, a verdict based on his original 2019 denial during his first term as president. Trump is expected to appeal that 2024 judgment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan - who is not related to the presiding judge - issued a statement noting the collection of the damages. "Three years ago, a unanimous nine-person jury found President Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll. We are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment the jury awarded her," Kaplan said.
Context and implications
The immediate result is the physical transfer of the funds judged owed under the 2023 civil verdict. Beyond that, the filings and appeals illustrate ongoing legal friction over enforcement and potential recoverability of money should Carroll choose to distribute it. The matter also underscores continuing litigation between Carroll and Trump, with at least one larger judgment from 2024 still subject to appeal.