NEW YORK (Diya TV) — Writer E. Jean Carroll has received more than $5.6 million after years of legal battles with President Donald Trump. The payment follows a federal civil jury verdict that found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Court records filed Tuesday confirmed that the money was disbursed after a judge rejected Trump’s latest effort to delay the payment.
The court filing showed that $5,625,005.48 went to Carroll and her legal team on July 9. The amount includes the original $5 million jury award from May 2023 and more than three years of post-judgment interest. A person close to Carroll also confirmed that the funds had reached the writer.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, welcomed the development. She said a unanimous nine-person jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll three years ago. She added that Carroll has now received the damages awarded by the jury.
The payment came shortly after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected Trump’s request to further delay the transfer of funds. In his ruling, the judge wrote that Trump had stalled the case for years. Soon afterward, a federal appeals court in New York also denied Trump’s request to block Carroll from collecting the money.
The legal dispute began after Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her inside a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan during the 1990s. She made the allegation public in 2019. Trump strongly denied the claim and said the incident never happened. He also made public comments about Carroll that later became the basis for her defamation claims.
In May 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and for defaming her after she came forward with her allegations. However, the jury did not find him liable for rape. Instead, jurors awarded Carroll $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily allowed survivors to file civil lawsuits even after the statute of limitations had expired.
Although Trump deposited the money while pursuing his appeal, Carroll could not receive it until the courts resolved several legal challenges. Trump appealed the verdict at multiple levels. However, the appeals court repeatedly upheld the jury’s decision. In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court also declined to hear Trump’s appeal, leaving the verdict in place.
Even after the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump sought more time by signaling that he might ask the justices to reconsider their refusal to hear the case. Carroll’s attorneys argued that the request only delayed payment. Judge Kaplan agreed and refused to grant another pause. He noted that successful requests for Supreme Court reconsideration are extremely rare.
Even so, the appeals court ordered that the money remain in Carroll’s account while Trump decides whether to seek reconsideration from the Supreme Court. Although Carroll has received the funds, the legal process has not fully ended.
Trump’s legal team criticized the lawsuits after the payment moved forward. His attorneys described the litigation as a “hoax” and said the president would continue fighting what they called “liberal lawfare.” They also indicated that Trump plans to keep challenging the rulings through the courts.
Meanwhile, another major judgment against Trump remains unresolved. In January 2024, a separate federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages in a different defamation case. That lawsuit focused on statements Trump made after Carroll first accused him of sexual assault in 2019.
Trump continues to appeal that larger judgment. His attorneys have signaled that they intend to ask the Supreme Court to review the case after a federal appeals court refused to overturn the verdict. So far, however, no Supreme Court filing has been made.
The two civil cases have become some of the most closely watched legal battles involving Trump. While the latest payment closes one chapter, the broader legal fight continues. The outcome of the remaining appeal could determine whether Trump must also pay the additional $83.3 million awarded to Carroll.
