E. Jean Carroll, the writer who won a sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, has received over $5.6 million. This payment includes the $5 million originally awarded by the jury, along with accrued interest. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed the receipt of the funds from an escrow account on Monday. The money had been held there since the 2023 verdict.
Kaplan expressed satisfaction with the payment in a statement released on Tuesday. Trump’s legal team continues to pursue appeals, seeking to halt or reverse the payment. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the civil verdict, which allowed Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to authorize the release of the funds. Trump’s lawyers tried to block this through an emergency order, which was denied without specifying conditions for Carroll’s use of the money. Her legal team has indicated she intends to invest it in a retirement account.
The lawsuit stemmed from an incident in 1996, where the jury determined Trump sexually assaulted Carroll in a dressing room at a New York department store. Carroll brought her case to court after New York amended its laws to allow survivors of past sexual abuses an opportunity to sue. Trump, who declined to attend the trial, argued that he never had any sexual interaction with Carroll and accused her of lying and having political motives.
Trump also dismissed the relevance of a photograph from 1987 that showed them together at a party, arguing that he did not know Carroll personally. He further suggested the lawsuit was an attempt to profit from book sales. Following the initial verdict, Trump is appealing an additional $83 million awarded to Carroll in defamation compensation by a separate jury in 2024. He provided brief testimony in this latter trial.
It is noteworthy that while the Associated Press usually refrains from identifying individuals claiming sexual abuse, Carroll has agreed to be named publicly.
Michael R. Sisak from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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