Did Donald Trump pay E. Jean Carroll after the defamation verdict or the sexual assault verdict?
Executive summary
Donald Trump has been found liable in two separate civil proceedings brought by E. Jean Carroll — a 2023 trial that produced a $5 million judgment for sexual abuse and related defamation, and a later 2024 trial that produced an $83.3 million defamation award — but reporting shows he did not simply hand over cash after either verdict; instead he appealed and, in the defamation case, posted a bond to stay collection while the appeals process runs [1] [2] [3]. Court rulings and filings through 2025 indicate the judgments remain contested on appeal rather than satisfied by payment [4] [5] [6].
1. Two verdicts, two legal tracks: what juries decided
A Manhattan federal jury in May 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll and also found he defamed her, awarding roughly $5 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages in that proceeding [1] [4]. A separate jury in January 2024 — convened to assess damages for later statements — returned an $83.3 million award for defamation tied to public attacks after the first verdict, creating cumulative civil liability of roughly $88 million across the two suits as explained by multiple outlets [2] [7] [8].
2. Immediate response: appeals rather than payment
Trump’s legal team signaled promptly that they would not accept the verdicts and initiated appeals, arguing various procedural and evidentiary errors in the trials; those appeals and further petitions to higher courts have continued through 2025, including filings seeking Supreme Court review of the $5 million judgment [4] [9] [10]. Appeals routinely stay immediate enforcement of money judgments only if the defendant provides security, so the litigation posture has been to contest liability and seek relief from higher courts rather than to pay and litigate collection issues afterward [4].
3. The sexual-abuse/$5 million judgment: collection posture and appeals
Coverage shows the $5 million judgment arising from the 2023 trial remained the subject of appeals and motions; news reports document Trump seeking reversal and judicial relief rather than voluntary payment, and press coverage notes his petitions to higher courts to overturn that verdict [1] [9]. Sources in the record do not show a one-time voluntary payment to Carroll of the $5 million after the jury verdict; instead the record indicates legal challenges and appeals were pursued [1] [4]. If there were any sealed or private settlements not disclosed in these sources, those are not reflected in the reporting provided.
4. The $83.3 million defamation award: bond posted, not a cash surrender
For the larger defamation award, reporting documents that Trump posted a bond of roughly $91.6 million to cover the judgment while appealing, a procedural step that secures the judgment during appeal and prevents immediate collection but is not the same as paying the plaintiff outright [3]. Subsequent appellate rulings up to 2025 affirmed components of the defamation award (and rejected some of Trump’s appeals), but the public record in these sources shows the matter remained subject to appellate litigation rather than being resolved by an immediate transfer of funds to Carroll [5] [6].
5. What this posture means in practice and why advocates differ
Posting a bond preserves the plaintiff’s ability to collect if appeals fail while allowing the defendant to pursue appellate review; Carroll’s camp has framed the bond and appellate outcomes as validation of the verdicts and as protecting her path to eventual payment, while Trump’s camp has emphasized ongoing appeals and argued the jury decisions were erroneous and politically motivated [3] [10]. Reporting from both AP and Reuters indicates courts have at times upheld the awards, but those decisions have generated further petitions and filings by Trump’s lawyers seeking relief from higher courts, underscoring that legal finality — and final payment — remained unsettled in the sources provided [6] [5].
6. Bottom line
Based on available reporting, Trump did not voluntarily pay Carroll the $5 million or the $83.3 million immediately after those verdicts; he appealed the judgments and, in the larger defamation case, posted a bond (about $91.6 million) to stay collection while pursuing appellate review, meaning the judgments were secured for potential collection but not discharged by cash payment as of the public record in these sources [1] [3] [4]. These sources do not document any final satisfaction of the judgments by direct payment to Carroll; if payment occurred through later rulings, settlements, or transfers not covered here, those events are not shown in the reporting provided.