E Jean Carroll is paid $5.6 million in Trump sex abuse and defamation case

E Jean Carroll, a former advice columnist and author, has received $5.6 million in damages from a civil lawsuit against former U.S. President Donald Trump, court documents and her legal team confirmed. The amount includes the $5 million awarded by a jury in 2023, along with accrued interest. The funds were transferred from an escrow account on Monday, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the verdict. Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, announced the payment on Tuesday, stating that the money had finally reached her. The payment followed a protracted legal battle that began in 2023 when a Manhattan jury found Trump liable for both sexual abuse and defamation. The jury determined that Trump had assaulted Carroll in a New York department store dressing room in 1996 and had defamed her when she recounted the incident in her 2019 memoir. The case gained national attention as it marked one of the few instances where a former U.S. president faced a civil trial over allegations of sexual misconduct. The funds had been held in escrow since the initial ruling, pending resolution of appeals. Trump’s legal team attempted to block the payout through an emergency motion, which was denied by a federal judge. The denial did not impose restrictions on how Carroll could use the money. According to court filings, her legal representatives indicated that the funds would be placed into a retirement account. Despite the payment being finalized, Trump’s legal team continues to pursue appellate remedies. They have filed additional motions seeking to overturn or halt the disbursement of the money. The Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene earlier allowed the lower court to proceed with releasing the funds, but the appeals process remains active. Carroll described the receipt of the money as a personal victory. In a post on her Substack platform, she wrote, “the eagle has landed.” She has spoken publicly about the incident, detailing how a seemingly innocent interaction with Trump escalated into a traumatic experience. During the trial, she testified that the encounter initially appeared friendly but quickly turned aggressive. Trump has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that no sexual contact occurred and that Carroll’s claims were fabricated. In a 2019 interview, he dismissed the accusations, calling them lies and claiming he was “not her type.” He also downplayed a photograph showing him and Carroll at a social gathering in 1987, suggesting it was irrelevant. Trump argued that Carroll’s actions were politically motivated and aimed at profiting from his fame. The legal proceedings were enabled by changes to New York state law, which allowed survivors of past sexual abuse to seek justice through civil litigation. Carroll’s case was among the first to benefit from these reforms. The outcome of this case has broader implications for other potential plaintiffs who may come forward with similar claims. In addition to the $5.6 million settlement, Carroll previously secured an $83 million defamation judgment against Trump in a separate trial in 2024. That case also concluded with a jury finding in her favor, though Trump briefly testified during that proceeding. His legal team is currently challenging that verdict as well. Carroll has chosen to make her name public despite the AP’s general policy of not identifying individuals who allege sexual abuse. Her willingness to speak openly has drawn both support and criticism from various quarters. Legal experts suggest that the ongoing appeals could take months or even years to resolve, depending on the courts’ schedules and the complexity of the issues involved.