Carroll came forward in 2019 in a New York magazine excerpt from her memoir. She had not reported the assault at the time, a common occurrence that is documented extensively in research on sexual violence. Trump responded immediately and characteristically: he denied the assault, said Carroll wasn't his type, implied she fabricated the story for book sales, and called her allegations a Democratic hoax. Carroll sued for defamation. Trump's defense — that he was immune from defamation liability for statements made while president — was rejected by courts. In 2022, New York passed the Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily opened a window for victims of sexual assault to sue regardless of the statute of limitations. Carroll amended her lawsuit to include a claim for the assault itself.
"The finding that Ms. Carroll failed to prove that she was 'raped' within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump 'raped' her as many people commonly understand the word 'rape.' Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump did in fact, as alleged, forcibly digitally penetrate Ms. Carroll."
— Judge Lewis Kaplan, Carroll v. Trump, May 2023Trump did not attend either trial. He chose to continue his public attacks on Carroll rather than defend himself in court. After the first verdict, he went on CNN for a town hall and called Carroll a "whack job" — adding new defamatory statements to those already adjudicated. The second trial concerned the damages from this continued defamation. The $83.3 million verdict included $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages — the punitive amount designed to deter someone of Trump's wealth from continuing to defame Carroll. Trump appealed both verdicts. They remain in force as of 2026.
This post distinguishes between documented facts, allegations, and analysis. Where motive, intent, corruption, or illegality remains disputed in the public record, the text attributes that judgment to court findings, official records, direct quotes, or the reporting linked below.
- First verdict — Carroll v. Trump, US District Court SDNY, May 9, 2023; $5 million; Judge Lewis A. Kaplan; "fits by common parlance definition rape" language in post-verdict ruling.
- Second verdict — January 26, 2024; $83.3 million; $65M punitive; same court.
- Carroll account — New York magazine excerpt, June 2019; memoir "What Do We Need Men For?"
- Trump statements — "not my type," "whack job," "hoax" — documented from press conferences, rally recordings, CNN town hall.