The legal machinery has consumed most of a decade of her life.
After nearly seven years of litigation, a Manhattan judge has ordered Donald Trump to pay E Jean Carroll approximately $8.4 million — the original jury award plus accumulated interest — following the Supreme Court's quiet refusal to intervene. The case, rooted in allegations of sexual abuse in a Manhattan dressing room three decades ago, has become one of the more enduring legal confrontations of the Trump era, raising questions not only about accountability but about the relationship between power, delay, and justice. Carroll, now 82, has watched her case move through courts while Trump's legal team has pursued every available avenue of postponement, a pattern that continues even as this payment is finally released.
- After the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's appeal — with not one of the nine justices, including his three appointees, noting a dissent — Judge Kaplan moved swiftly to release the $8.4 million held in a court-supervised fund.
- Trump's lawyers had argued that releasing the money would cause irreparable harm if Carroll gave it away and the Supreme Court later reversed course, framing the payment itself as a threat to judicial credibility.
- Within an hour of the order, Trump's team filed a new federal appeal and announced plans to petition the Supreme Court again, extending a legal strategy Carroll's team characterises as deliberate stalling.
- A separate $83.3 million verdict from January 2024 — stemming from a different defamatory statement Trump made during his first term — remains under appeal, meaning the larger financial reckoning is still unresolved.
- Trump's spokesperson dismissed the proceedings as 'Democrat-funded witch hunts,' while Carroll's legal team offered no immediate comment, letting the court order speak for itself.
A Manhattan judge has ordered Donald Trump to pay E Jean Carroll nearly $8.4 million in damages — the original $5 million jury verdict plus three years of interest — after the Supreme Court declined without comment to revisit Trump's appeal of a 2023 civil finding that he sexually abused Carroll in 1996 and defamed her when he later denied it.
Carroll, 82, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, first publicly accused Trump of assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room roughly three decades ago. Trump, now 80, has called her account a hoax invented to sell her memoir. The two have been locked in litigation ever since, producing multiple jury verdicts and a legal strategy on Trump's side defined above all by delay.
The road to this payment order was long and winding. The 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Then, in January 2024, a separate jury ordered him to pay Carroll $83.3 million over a different defamatory statement made during his first term — a verdict he is contesting on presidential immunity grounds. That larger sum remains under appeal.
Trump's lawyers had asked Judge Kaplan to hold the $5 million in escrow, warning that if Carroll gave the money away — as she had indicated she intended to — and the Supreme Court later ruled in Trump's favour, the harm would be irreversible. The Supreme Court declined to engage, with none of its nine justices, including Trump's three appointees, registering a dissent.
Within an hour of Kaplan's order, Trump's team filed a fresh federal appeal and signalled another petition to the Supreme Court. A spokesperson labelled the proceedings part of 'Democrat-funded witch hunts.' Carroll's lawyers said nothing. The $83.3 million verdict continues to loom, and the Supreme Court rarely revisits cases it has already passed over — though Trump's legal team appears intent on testing that convention.
A Manhattan judge has cleared the way for E Jean Carroll to collect nearly $8.4 million in damages from Donald Trump, money that has been sitting in a court-supervised fund while his legal team pursued appeals. Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the order after the Supreme Court declined to take up Trump's request to reconsider a 2023 civil verdict that found Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996 and then defamed her when he denied the allegations years later. The payment represents the original $5 million jury award plus three years of accumulated interest.
Carroll, 82, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, first publicly accused Trump of assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan roughly three decades ago. Trump, now 80, has consistently rejected her account as fabrication, calling it a hoax and a con designed to boost sales of her memoir. For nearly seven years, the two have been locked in litigation that has produced multiple jury verdicts and competing legal strategies.
The path to this payment order was circuitous. A jury in 2023 awarded Carroll $5 million after finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation based on statements he made denying her allegations. Then, in January 2024, a separate jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million in damages stemming from a different defamatory statement he made in 2019, during his first term as president. Trump has argued he deserves immunity for that 2019 statement on the grounds that it was made while he held office. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals declined in September to throw out that larger verdict, but Trump's legal team signaled it would appeal to the Supreme Court.
Trump's lawyers had urged Judge Kaplan to hold off on releasing the $5 million, arguing that if Carroll received the money and then gave it away as she had said she intended to do, Trump would suffer irreparable harm should the Supreme Court eventually rule in his favor. They contended that allowing the payment would undermine public confidence in the judicial system at a moment when Trump's supporters and some legal observers have raised concerns about what they characterize as politically motivated use of the courts. The Supreme Court, however, declined to hear Trump's renewed appeal without any of the nine justices—including the three he appointed—noting a dissent.
Within an hour of Kaplan's order, Trump's legal team filed an appeal in federal court in Manhattan. A spokesperson for Trump's lawyers issued a statement characterizing the case as part of what they called "Democrat-funded" witch hunts, saying the American people stand with Trump in demanding an end to what they termed the "Carroll Hoaxes." Carroll's legal team offered no immediate response.
The case has become emblematic of the legal battles surrounding Trump. Carroll has accused him of deliberately prolonging both lawsuits to avoid accountability, a charge his lawyers have not directly addressed. What remains clear is that Trump's legal strategy has consistently aimed at delaying final resolution—first through the appeals process, now through another petition to the Supreme Court. The $83.3 million verdict from January 2024 remains under appeal, meaning the larger financial exposure continues to hang over Trump even as the smaller judgment is now being released. The Supreme Court rarely revisits cases it has already declined to hear, but Trump's team appears determined to test that principle.
Citas Notables
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's legal team spokesperson
Carroll has accused Trump of deliberately prolonging both lawsuits to avoid accountability.— Carroll's legal position
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did the judge need to issue this order at all? Wasn't the money already set aside?
It was, but Trump's lawyers argued Carroll shouldn't touch it until all appeals were exhausted. They claimed releasing it would harm Trump's case and shake public faith in the courts. The judge disagreed.
So the Supreme Court already said no once. Why is Trump's team filing another appeal?
Because the Supreme Court rarely revisits a case after turning it down, but it does happen. Trump's lawyers seem to believe the circumstances have changed enough—particularly with the larger $83 million verdict still in play—to warrant another try.
What's the connection between the two verdicts?
Trump's lawyers argue that if they win on appeal regarding the 2019 statement, it could undermine the basis for the 2023 verdict. They're trying to thread a legal needle that might unravel both judgments.
Has Carroll said anything about all this?
Not yet. Her lawyers haven't commented publicly on the judge's order. But she's already on record saying Trump is deliberately stalling to avoid accountability.
How long has this actually been going on?
Nearly seven years since she first went public with her account. She's 82 now. The legal machinery has consumed most of a decade of her life.
What happens next?
Trump's appeal in federal court will move forward. If that fails, he'll likely petition the Supreme Court again on the larger verdict. Meanwhile, Carroll finally gets her money.