A federal appeals court on Monday rejected former President Donald Trump’s challenge to an $83 million judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving intact part of the multi-million-dollar relief a jury ordered after Carroll won defamation claims tied to her allegations of sexual assault, court records show. Trump has said he will continue to pursue appeals.
Carroll, 81, sued Trump twice — alleging sexual assault in a New York department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and later suing for defamation after he publicly denied the allegation. She was awarded $5 million in May 2023 in one trial and an additional $83 million in January 2024. Both judgments have been the subject of post-trial motions and appeals.
In an interview published by the Daily Mail, Carroll discussed her new memoir, Not My Type, which chronicles the legal battles and courtroom scenes that shaped the cases. Carroll described living in a modest log cabin in upstate New York, said she has not yet received the money from the judgments, and said she and her legal team had returned to court to try to force payment. She also told the publication she plans to give any funds she eventually receives to causes she said the former president would oppose, including organizations that support women’s rights.
Carroll has publicly described her demeanor during the trials as upbeat, and the memoir mixes personal detail with accounts of the courtroom proceedings. The book’s title reproduces words Carroll says Trump used when asked about her allegation. Carroll dedicated the book to her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, and in the interview defended Kaplan against criticism.
Kaplan resigned from the board of the Time’s Up legal organization in 2021 after reports that she had reviewed a draft of an op-ed that critics said would have attacked the character of Lindsey Boylan, an accuser of then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to reporting by state and national outlets. The New York attorney general’s office had reported that Kaplan reviewed a draft; Kaplan said she did not work for Cuomo’s administration. In June of last year, Kaplan stepped down from the law firm she founded after colleagues told The New York Times that she had mistreated employees; Kaplan’s lawyers denied the allegations.
Carroll has said the attorney’s actions did not diminish her view of Kaplan’s work on her cases. Court filings show Kaplan represented Carroll during both trials that produced the jury awards.
Legal experts said the appeals process in high-profile civil judgments often extends for years. The latest ruling leaves in place the appellate court’s decision on the $83 million award but does not preclude additional filings in the federal courts or a possible appeal to the Supreme Court. Trump’s legal team has routinely sought further review of adverse rulings in multiple civil and criminal matters.
Carroll’s litigation has unfolded amid a broader, uneven picture of legal outcomes for prominent figures accused during the #MeToo era. Some high-profile prosecutions and convictions tied to sexual misconduct allegations have produced mixed results in recent years: the Time’s Up organization formally ceased operations in January 2023, and criminal cases involving public figures have produced differing outcomes in courts nationwide, reporting has shown.
Carroll told the Daily Mail she was surprised by the personal and public attention the trials brought and by the reaction from some conservative supporters of Trump. She said she has sought to move on from the assault she described, to pursue writing and advocacy, and to use any award funds to support organizations she believes would anger the former president. Court records and public statements show she has not yet collected the jury awards and that litigation over enforcement and appeals remains active.
The appellate ruling is likely to be followed by additional filings in federal court as both sides continue to contest the judgments and their enforcement. Attorneys for Carroll and for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of the statements made in court filings and published interviews.