E. Jean Carroll receives $5.6 million from Trump in sexual abuse case

Writer E. Jean Carroll has received more than $5.6 million in damages related to her sexual abuse and defamation case against President Donald Trump. Court records indicate the funds were disbursed on July 14, 2026, marking the conclusion of a years-long legal effort to secure payment following a 2023 jury verdict.

Payment finalized after U.S. Supreme Court denies appeal

The total disbursement, confirmed at $5.625 million by some reports, includes the original $5 million jury award plus accrued interest. The funds were held in an escrow account managed by the federal government's Court Registry Investment System while President Trump pursued various appeals. The process reached a turning point on June 29, 2026, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s challenge to the lower court's findings.

Following the Supreme Court's decision, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered the release of the funds. While Trump’s legal team filed an emergency request to block the transfer, the motion was denied. In his decision to release the payment, Judge Kaplan wrote:

"It is time for him to 'do equity' and pay the judgment."

Timeline of allegations and legal proceedings

The dispute stems from allegations Carroll, now 82, first detailed in a 2019 memoir. She accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. After Carroll made these claims public, Trump denied the encounter, stating she was "not my type" and labeling her allegations a "hoax" and a "lie" in a 2022 social media post. Carroll subsequently filed a civil lawsuit under New York laws that granted survivors of sexual abuse a temporary window to pursue claims regarding past events.

In 2023, a unanimous jury in Manhattan found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. During the trial, which Trump did not attend, the jury rejected a specific claim of rape under New York penal code. However, Judge Kaplan later remarked in post-trial rulings that the jury's finding of sexual abuse was consistent with a modern understanding of rape.

Ongoing legal disputes

Following the collection of the funds, Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed the receipt of the payment in a statement: "Three years ago, a unanimous nine-person jury found President Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll. Today, we are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment the jury awarded her as a result of that verdict." Carroll addressed the development on her Substack blog, writing, "the eagle has landed."

Despite the conclusion of this specific judgment, a larger financial dispute remains active. In 2024, a separate federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in a different defamation lawsuit concerning statements Trump made about her in 2019. Trump is currently appealing that verdict, and federal courts have so far upheld the award. Attorneys for the president have indicated they intend to continue to appeal.

Throughout the proceedings, legal representatives for the president have characterized the lawsuits as politically motivated, describing them as "hoax" and "Witch Hunt" cases. Conversely, attorneys for Carroll have emphasized the length of time taken to secure the damages, arguing that the writer has waited more than three years for the jury's verdict to be fulfilled. According to court filings, Carroll intends to place the recently received funds into a retirement account.