A US judge on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, ordered the payment of a multimillion-dollar verdict to magazine writer E. Jean Carroll to satisfy a 2023 civil verdict in which a jury found President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan ordered the disbursement of nearly $5.8 million to the former Elle magazine advice columnist, representing the original $5 million verdict plus interest.
E. Jean Carroll, 82, accused Trump of raping her around 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them a hoax and 'con job'. 'Defendant has been stalling this case for years,' Judge Kaplan wrote in his decision. 'It is time for him to "do equity" and pay the judgment.' Trump's lawyers had urged Carroll to wait to collect damages until after the Supreme Court reviewed the president's renewed bid to overturn the verdict. They claimed letting Carroll recover, only to have the Supreme Court grant a rehearing, would 'undermine public confidence in an orderly judicial process'.
Trump's lawyers also stated that the president would be irreparably harmed if Carroll fulfilled her stated intention to give away the money, as it likely could not be recovered once she did.
Nevertheless, Judge Kaplan said disbursing the funds would not cause irreparable harm, as Trump could sue to recover the money if the Supreme Court accepted his appeal and overturned the verdict.
Carroll's lawyers stated that their client intends to put the money in an interest-bearing account and use it to fund her retirement.
Trump plans to appeal the decision, and his lawyers said a successful appeal could undermine the basis for the $5 million verdict. They are also planning to appeal a separate $83.3 million verdict awarded to Carroll in 2024 over Trump's original denial of the allegations in 2019.
The Supreme Court rarely takes up appeals after initially turning them down. It remains to be seen if they will review Trump's appeals.
Trump accused Carroll of making up the alleged rape to help sell her memoir. However, the jury found Trump liable for defamation, not rape, but awarded Carroll $5 million anyway.
The decision marks a major victory for Carroll and a significant setback for Trump. It also highlights the challenges women face in reporting and seeking justice for sexual assault and harassment.
The case has been ongoing since 2019, when Carroll first sued Trump in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit alleged that Trump had raped her in 1996 and then defamed her in 2019 when he denied the allegations.