Trump Ordered to Pay E Jean Carroll $5.8M After Appeal Fails

Donald Trump has been ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll $5.8 million after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal on May 20, 2024. This decision effectively upholds the jury's verdict from a civil defamation trial.

In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll. While the jury did not find him liable for rape, they did conclude he was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The initial judgment awarded Carroll $5 million, with an additional $3 million awarded for defamation in a separate but related case.

Trump's legal team had sought to overturn the verdict, arguing that the original defamation claim should have been dismissed. The appeals court had previously affirmed the jury's decision, leading to the case's progression to the nation's highest court. The Supreme Court's refusal to review the case means the $5.8 million judgment stands, and Trump is now obligated to pay the sum to Carroll.

This ruling is part of a series of legal challenges faced by Donald Trump. The defamation case stemmed from statements Trump made denying Carroll's allegations of sexual assault, which occurred in the mid-1990s. Carroll sued Trump in 2019 after he repeatedly dismissed her claims as false.