A U.S. court has ordered a $US5 million compensation payment from U.S. President Donald Trump be released to E. Jean Carroll, three years after a court found him liable for defamation and sexual abuse.
Trump unsuccessfully appealed the verdict in two levels of court.
When the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal in late June, Carroll said: “This win is for every woman in the world.”
Here’s what you need to know.
Carroll
E. Jean Carroll is a journalist and author. She rose to fame with her long-running column in Elle magazine, ‘Ask E. Jean’, where shewould answer readers’ questions.
In her 2019 book, ‘What Do We Need Men For?’, Carroll said Trumpsexually assaulted her in the 1990s.
In response to her claims, at the time Trump said Carroll is “not my type” and “it never happened”.
Carroll was fired from her column in 2020, and said it was because Trump “ridiculed my reputation”.
Case
In 2022, Trump again publicly denied Carroll’s allegations and called her a liar.
Carroll sued Trump for sexual abuse and defamation in 2023. She was awarded $US5 million ($AU7.2 million) in compensation and punitive damages.
Punitive damages are payments made when conduct is considered particularly damaging or deliberate, often as a punishment to the perpetrator rather than compensation to the victim-survivor.
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Appeal
In the U.S, civil payments are held in a fund until a court orders they can be paid, for example after an appeals process.
Trump was required to deposit the $US5 million into a fund after the court ruled in Carroll’s favour.
He appealed the verdict twice, claiming evidence was used in error.
An appeals court found the evidence was admissible, and the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal, meaning the payment was upheld.
Recent verdict
This week, Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled the $5 million held in the fund be deposited to Carroll.
As these funds also accrue interest, the total is nowaround $AU8.4 million.
The decision comes after Carroll’s legal team said “it is time for this case to end,”writing a letter to Kaplan asking him to expedite the process.
Response
On 30 June, following the Supreme Court decision to dismiss Trump’s appeal, Carroll posted to X:
Trump’s legal team has submitted a new request for a hearing. The Supreme Court will not sit again, except in emergency circumstances, until October.
