Trump ordered to pay E Jean Carroll $5.8m after failed appeal

A federal judge has cleared the way for writer E Jean Carroll to receive the $5.8 million judgment against US President Donald Trump, comprising the original $5 million jury award and accumulated interest since the 2023 verdict. The decision followed the US Supreme Court's refusal to hear Trump's appeal of the case. Carroll's legal team had requested the funds be released after the Supreme Court's decision on June 29. Within an hour of the judge's order, Trump filed another appeal, with his representatives characterizing the case as politically motivated.

The legal dispute stems from Carroll's 2019 memoir in which she alleged Trump sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store in 1996. Trump denied the allegation and made public statements calling her claims false and motivated by book sales and political gain. Carroll subsequently filed defamation lawsuits in response to these denials, including one in 2022 following additional statements Trump made on his social media platform.

In 2023, a jury determined Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation based on his 2022 statements, though it did not find him liable for rape. A second jury later awarded Carroll $83.3 million in 2024 for defamatory statements he made in 2019 while serving as president. Trump continues to appeal the larger judgment, arguing his 2019 comments were protected by presidential immunity. Additionally, the Department of Justice has initiated a criminal investigation into Carroll regarding potential perjury during her testimony.