In brief
In a landmark civil judgment, Trump was orders to pay over $5 million to E Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation. The payment, including accrued interest, was made after a New York jury unanimously found in favour of Carroll in 2023. Trump had contested the outcome, appealing to the Supreme Court, but eventually complied following a judge’s final ruling. The settlement underscores the ongoing legal scrutiny of Trump’s alleged misconduct and the broader implications for defamation claims.
In a highly publicised civil dispute, former U.S. President Donald Trump finally complied with a jury award by paying writer E Jean Carroll a little over five million dollars in damages. The payout includes the original amount of $5 million awarded by the New York jury in 2023, plus accrued interest from the appeals period.
Roberta Kaplan, one of Carroll’s attorneys, confirmed the payment in a brief statement, noting that it represents the full sum the jury demanded. Trump had sought to delay payment and argued the case was unsuitable for the Supreme Court, but a judge in the New York case ordered the amount to be paid after the Supreme Court declined to intervene.
The civil suit centred on allegations that Trump sexually abused Carroll in a 1990s dressing‑room in Manhattan and subsequently defamed her on his Truth Social platform in a 2022 post denying her claims. A jury in 2023 unanimously found Trump liable for both abuse and defamation.
Trump’s legal team has repeatedly challenged the verdict, calling it a political hatch, but a federal appeals court agreed with the jury’s findings and rejected Trump’s appeal last year. The Supreme Court’s refusal to consider Trump’s final appeal cleared the way for the money to be released.
Carroll, now 82, celebrated the verdict, writing on her Substack blog that the win was “for every woman in the world.” Her case, and the subsequent payment, highlight the broader legal and media scrutiny surrounding allegations of misconduct by high‑profile figures.
