NEW YORK — Donald Trump paid E. Jean Carroll $5,625,005.48 in damages and interest on July 14, 2026, fulfilling a court-ordered judgment stemming from a civil case in which he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The payment followed the Supreme Court’s June 29, 2026, decision not to hear Trump’s appeal, clearing the final legal hurdle for enforcement of the judgment issued by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan.

The funds were released from a court-controlled escrow account on July 9, 2026, five days before the actual transfer to Carroll was completed. Trump had deposited the original $5 million damages award into that escrow account shortly after a New York jury delivered its verdict in May 2023. The final payment amount included accumulated interest, bringing the total to $5,625,005.48.

Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer representing Carroll, confirmed receipt of the payment. "Today, we are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment the jury awarded her as a result of that verdict," she stated. Carroll, who is 82 years old, had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. She also accused him of defaming her in a January 2022 post on his Truth Social website, where he denied her allegations.

A New York jury unanimously found Trump liable for both sexual abuse and defamation in May 2023, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. However, the jury rejected her claim of rape as defined under the New York penal code. Trump did not attend the 2023 civil trial and has consistently denied the allegations of sexual abuse and defamation. His legal team previously dismissed the case as a “hoax” and “Witch Hunt.”

The legal process extended beyond the initial verdict. A federal appeals court upheld the jury’s decision in 2025. Trump then sought review from the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to take up the case on June 29, 2026. That same day, Carroll posted two messages on her Substack blog: “WE WON!” and “THIS WIN IS FOR EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD!”

This payment resolves only the 2023 verdict. In a separate 2024 civil trial, another jury found Trump liable for defamation related to additional statements he made about Carroll and awarded her $83.3 million. That judgment remains subject to its own appeals process. The Justice Department had filed a motion in December 2024 asking the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s ruling on Trump’s presidential immunity claims specifically in the Carroll case, though that effort did not prevent the enforcement of the 2023 judgment.

Carroll’s attorneys said she plans to place the $5.6 million award from the 2023 case into an interest-bearing retirement account. The completion of this payment marks the end of the enforcement phase for the first of two civil judgments against Trump in his legal battles with Carroll.

Why It Matters

The payment concludes a three-year legal journey that began with a civil trial and culminated in the highest court declining further review. It represents the first time Trump has been compelled to pay monetary damages for sexual misconduct allegations, setting a legal and financial precedent in cases involving public figures and historical claims.

The case also highlights the distinction between civil liability and criminal prosecution. While the jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse under civil standards of proof, it did not find that the act met the specific legal definition of rape under New York criminal law. The resolution of this judgment may influence how similar civil claims are pursued and enforced in the future.