Have Donald Trump or his companies paid any portion of E. Jean Carroll's judgments by December 2025?
Executive summary
By December 2025, available reporting shows courts had affirmed two separate judgments for E. Jean Carroll — a $5 million award for sexual abuse (upheld on appeal) and a much larger defamation award (commonly reported as about $83–$83.3 million) — and reporting notes that Trump “previously paid [one judgment] into escrow,” but sources do not establish a clear record that Donald Trump or his companies had fully paid Carroll the combined judgments by that date [1] [2] [3]. Public filings and press reports show active appeals and Supreme Court petitions, and the factual record about payment timing remains contested in news coverage [1] [4] [5].
1. Two distinct judgments, two different dollar figures — what courts decided
E. Jean Carroll won two separate civil rulings against Donald Trump: a $5 million judgment tied to a jury finding he sexually abused and defamed her, and a separate, far larger defamation award often reported around $83–$83.3 million from another jury and appeals process [2] [6] [7]. The Second Circuit and other courts affirmed the $5 million award on appeal [8] [3]. Reporting also documents the separate defamation award and its multiple appeals [6] [9].
2. Payment status: reporting notes escrow and bond steps but not a definitive final payment
News outlets explicitly say Carroll “previously paid [a judgment] into escrow,” and reporting describes bonds and escrow arrangements tied to appeals — but none of the provided sources state unambiguously that Trump or his companies had fully paid Carroll the full judgments and accrued amounts by December 2025 [1] [2] [10]. Coverage describes steps like securing bonds to appeal and motions about bond language that could delay payment, which indicates payment mechanics were contested [2].
3. Legal maneuvers that affect whether money changes hands
Trump’s legal team repeatedly sought to overturn the rulings—asking the Second Circuit for rehearing, then seeking Supreme Court review—while Carroll’s lawyers moved to approve bonds and to remove delay provisions in bond agreements; courts approved bonds with contested stipulations and ordered changes, showing that appeals and bond language were central to whether and when funds would be disbursed [2]. Trump’s Supreme Court petitions and other appeals were still active in reporting through late 2025, preserving legal grounds to stay immediate collection [4] [5] [1].
4. Conflicting framings in the press and why that matters
Different outlets emphasize different elements: some focus on the $5 million criminal-liability-related award and its affirmation [3], others foreground the near-$83 million defamation award and its appeal trajectory [6] [9]. The Guardian and OPB explicitly note the escrow reference and frame the choice Trump faced between accepting payment and continuing to litigate [1] [10]. Those narrative differences matter because they shape public impressions of whether judgments were satisfied or merely secured for collection pending further appeal.
5. What the sources do not say (important limits)
Available sources do not provide a definitive ledger entry or court filing plainly stating “Trump (or his companies) paid X dollars to Carroll by December 2025.” They also do not show a final satisfaction-of-judgment filing or an uncontested distribution of funds from escrow to Carroll reported in these items [1] [2]. Where articles mention escrow or bond payments, they do not trace final receipt by Carroll in the reporting provided [1] [2].
6. Competing perspectives and possible motivations
Trump’s lawyers portray the verdicts as erroneous and politically motivated and pursued appeals up to the Supreme Court, a posture consistent with delaying or reversing collection [5]. Carroll’s team focused on ensuring bonds and removing delay clauses so collection could proceed if appeals failed [2]. Media outlets with different editorial sensibilities emphasize either the magnitude of the awards and harms to Carroll or the legal tactics available to Trump; readers should note those implicit agendas in framing whether payment is “immediate” or “stayed” [1] [4].
7. Bottom line for readers seeking a simple answer
Based on the reporting provided, courts affirmed Carroll’s awards and reporting documents escrow and bond steps, but the sources do not confirm that Donald Trump or his companies had completed payment of the judgments to Carroll by December 2025; the post-judgment payment process remained tied up in appeals and bond mechanics as reported [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention any clear, final payment having been made beyond escrow arrangements [1] [2].