E Jean Carroll is done waiting. The New York journalist filed court papers Tuesday demanding that Donald Trump immediately hand over roughly $5.8 million he owes her following a jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing her in the 1990s and defaming her publicly.
Carroll's legal team moved within hours of the Supreme Court refusing Monday to hear Trump's appeal of the civil case. The decision marked the end of his last major legal pathway to overturn the verdict, and Carroll's lawyers signaled they have exhausted their patience with delays.
"To date, Carroll has agreed to each of defendant's many requests to delay the payment he owes her," her attorneys wrote in the filing to federal court in Manhattan. "That cooperation ends today. It is time for him to pay Carroll."
The original $5 million verdict came from a 2023 jury trial where Carroll testified that Trump sexually abused her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in spring 1996 after a chance encounter that turned violent. Trump did not attend the trial and has repeatedly denied knowing Carroll, calling the case fake and describing her efforts to hold him accountable as a political scheme and book promotion.
Carroll first disclosed the alleged attack publicly in a 2019 magazine article while Trump was president. His repeated denials and attacks on her credibility formed the basis of defamation claims that the jury found valid.
Hours after the Supreme Court refused his appeal Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that the justices had declined to review what he called a "Fake Case." He promised to keep fighting what he described as "Weaponization and Lawfare."
Trump's legal team contacted Carroll's lawyers minutes after that post to request another delay while asking the court to reconsider its position. Carroll's lawyers flatly rejected the request, noting the Supreme Court had shown unanimous agreement in declining to hear the case, leaving no grounds for additional postponement.
Lawyers Roberta Kaplan, D Brandon Trice, and Maximilian T Crema pointed out that Trump has pursued "extraordinary lengths" to avoid payment and that every previous attempt has failed. The amount owed has grown to $5.8 million with accumulated interest since the original verdict.
Trump faces additional legal exposure on a separate defamation verdict. A Manhattan jury awarded Carroll another $83 million in January 2024 after Trump briefly testified at that trial. He is appealing that judgment as well. A federal appeals court panel upheld the first verdict in 2024, rejecting his claim that the judge unfairly allowed jurors to hear evidence of his alleged past sexual misconduct.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Supreme Court's refusal to intervene essentially closes the courtroom door on Trump's efforts to escape this judgment, and Carroll's team is right to stop indulging delay tactics that have dragged on for years."
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