A judge has ordered U.S. President Donald Trump to pay over $5.8 million, approximately 193 million baht, to female writer E. Jean Carroll after he was found liable for sexual assault and defamation against her in a civil case three years ago. Trump's legal team filed an appeal to stay the payment but was rejected by the court.
U.S. Federal Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered a $5.8 million payment, about 193 million baht, including interest, from a bond account to be paid to the writer and former columnist E. Jean Carroll. This follows a 2023 jury verdict finding President Donald Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation against her.
The order came after the U.S. Supreme Court denied Trump's appeal, making the civil judgment enforceable and allowing the court to release the bond funds Trump posted after the 2023 verdict. The original $5 million bond increased to $5.8 million due to accumulated interest.
The case began after E. Jean Carroll revealed in her 2019 memoir that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of the luxury Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. At that time, Trump was serving his first term as president. He strongly denied all allegations, accusing her of lying to boost book sales, and said, "She’s not my type."
Carroll filed the lawsuit after New York amended its laws to allow survivors of past sexual assaults to file civil suits even if the statute of limitations had expired. During the trial, Trump did not appear in court. The jury found him liable for sexual assault and defamation.
"The defendant (Trump) has delayed this case for many years. It is time for him to accept justice and pay this compensation," Judge Kaplan wrote in the ruling.
A spokesperson for Donald Trump's legal team immediately responded to the court order, calling it a politically motivated attack using the justice system as a weapon. "The American people stand with President Trump and demand an end to this 'witch hunt' and the false claims by Carroll, who is funded by the Democratic Party. President Trump will continue to win his legal battles against liberal opponents and remains committed to making America great again," the statement said.
Appeals Judge Denny Chin commented on Trump's behavior, noting that Trump repeatedly accused Carroll of lying for political and financial gain and demeaned her appearance. This caused Carroll to face threats to her life and live in fear for many years. Moreover, Trump showed "no remorse," continuing to defame her during and after the trial, once even stating he would defame her "thousands of times more."
In addition to the $5.8 million ordered in this case, Donald Trump is currently appealing another defamation case from 2024. In that case, a separate jury ordered Trump to pay nearly $84 million (about 2.9 billion baht) in damages and fines for defamation because he continued to attack Carroll during his presidency. Trump's legal team is also fighting to overturn that decision.