A US federal judge ordered Donald Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll US$5 million for sexual assault and defamation on July 8, 2026, following a civil jury verdict from 2023 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The damages include $2 million for sexual assault and $3 million for defamation, according to the ruling [1, 2, 6, 7, 8].
Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan mandated that the $5 million Trump had deposited with the court, plus accrued interest, be paid immediately to Carroll. Kaplan said, "Now is the time to pay the judgment; years of delay by Trump are over" [2]. Trump's legal team filed an appeal to the federal appeals court within an hour of the ruling, seeking to block the payment [3, 4, 5, 7].
The payment order follows the US Supreme Court’s refusal on June 29 to hear Trump’s appeal, making the 2023 jury verdict final [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Trump had placed approximately $5.5 million in escrow covering the damages as the appeals process continued [2, 6, 7, 8].
Carroll alleges Trump sexually assaulted her in 1996 inside a New York department store dressing room, a claim Trump has denied [1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8]. She sued him for defamation after he called her a liar and a "nut job" in public statements [1, 4, 7, 8].
Carroll faces a separate criminal investigation on whether she lied under oath during depositions related to these suits [1, 7]. In January 2024, a second jury awarded her $83.3 million in a different defamation case against Trump, but that payment is stayed pending appeal [1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Trump’s legal team said, "The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes" [3]. His appeals continue amid the enforcement of this $5 million judgment.
Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said, "This is the end of the line. It is time for him to pay Carroll" [4]. The case has moved from years of litigation into the enforcement phase following the Supreme Court’s recent decision.
