The Trump vs. Carroll lawsuits are two separate civil cases writer E. Jean Carroll brought against Donald Trump, which together produced $88.3 million in jury awards: $5 million for sexual abuse and defamation in one case, and $83.3 million for defamation in the other. Both verdicts have been upheld on appeal, and a Supreme Court petition on the larger judgment is pending as of early 2026.
Why There Are Two Lawsuits
In June 2019, New York Magazine published an excerpt from Carroll’s memoir describing an alleged sexual assault by Trump in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, a Manhattan department store, in the mid-1990s.1U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Carroll II DI 38 Opinion Trump denied it publicly, said he had never met Carroll, called her account fabricated, and said she was “not my type.” A photograph of the two together at a social event contradicted his claim of never having met her.
Carroll’s legal team treated Trump’s public statements as defamation. When he repeated his denials on his social media platform in October 2022, calling her accusation a “hoax” and a “lie,” those newer statements gave rise to a second defamation claim, separate from the 2019 statements. That is why two lawsuits exist rather than one.
Carroll II: Sexual Abuse and 2022 Defamation
Carroll filed the second lawsuit in November 2022, but it reached trial first. It was made possible by New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which opened a one-year window starting in late November 2022 for adults to file civil suits over sexual offenses regardless of when the alleged conduct occurred.2Governor Kathy Hochul. Governor Hochul Signs Adult Survivors Act Without that law, Carroll’s battery claim would have been time-barred.
The case contained two claims: battery, based on the alleged assault itself, and defamation, based on Trump’s October 2022 statements. The trial took place in the spring of 2023. The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and for defaming Carroll through his 2022 statements, and awarded $5 million in total damages.3Justia. Carroll v Trump, No. 23-793 The award covered compensatory and punitive damages across the battery and defamation claims.
Sexual Abuse, Not Rape: What the Verdict Meant
The Carroll II jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not rape. Under New York’s penal law, rape requires penetration, while sexual abuse covers non-consensual touching of intimate areas. The jury concluded Carroll had proved non-consensual sexual contact by a preponderance of the evidence, but not conduct meeting the statutory definition of rape.
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided, later clarified in a related proceeding that the verdict should not be misread as a partial finding. The jury believed a sexual assault occurred; the label reflected a specific statutory line.
Carroll I: 2019 Defamation and $83.3 Million
Carroll filed her first lawsuit on November 4, 2019, in New York state court, alleging that Trump’s 2019 denials were false and had damaged her reputation and career.1U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Carroll II DI 38 Opinion Procedural fights over whether Trump had spoken in his official capacity as president kept the case from reaching trial until January 2024, after Carroll II had already been decided.
Because the Carroll II jury had already found that Trump sexually abused Carroll, Judge Kaplan ruled that this finding carried into Carroll I under collateral estoppel.4Justia. Carroll v Trump, No. 1:2020cv07311 The truth of Carroll’s underlying account was treated as established, and the Carroll I trial focused solely on damages for the 2019 defamation.
The jury awarded $83.3 million, broken down as:
- $11 million in compensatory damages for reputation repair
- $7.3 million in other compensatory damages for economic harm and emotional distress
- $65 million in punitive damages
Carroll’s attorneys argued the large punitive figure was needed because Trump had continued attacking Carroll publicly even after the first jury found against him. Combined with the Carroll II award, the total across both cases is $88.3 million.
Appeals and the Supreme Court Petition
Trump appealed both verdicts to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. To prevent Carroll from collecting during the appeal, he posted a $91.6 million bond covering the Carroll I judgment plus accruing interest.5Cornell Law School / Legal Information Institute (LII). Rule 62 – Stay of Proceedings to Enforce a Judgment
A Second Circuit panel upheld the $5 million Carroll II verdict in 2024. A separate panel upheld the $83.3 million Carroll I verdict on December 30, 2024, in a 70-page opinion that called the total “fair and reasonable.”3Justia. Carroll v Trump, No. 23-793
Trump’s core argument was presidential immunity. He contended that because his 2019 statements were made while he was president, he was shielded from civil liability, and that the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling on criminal immunity for official acts should extend to civil defamation. The Second Circuit rejected both points, holding that the criminal immunity decision did not bar civil defamation liability.
After the Second Circuit denied rehearing en banc on June 13, 2025, Trump petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for review on November 10, 2025.6Supreme Court of the United States. Docket for 25-573 The petition, docketed as No. 25-573, remains pending.
What Trump Owes Now
The $5 million Carroll II award is final at the appellate level. The $83.3 million Carroll I judgment is before the Supreme Court on a petition for certiorari, meaning the Court will decide whether to hear the case at all. Most cert petitions are denied.
Post-judgment interest continues to accrue at the federal statutory rate, and the Carroll I judgment alone has grown to roughly $89.7 million. If the Supreme Court declines the case or affirms, Trump will owe the full amount of both judgments plus accrued interest. If the Court grants review, briefing and argument would extend the timeline into a future term.