Documentary Revisits E. Jean Carroll’s Trump Fight as $83.3 Million Judgment Awaits Appeal
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 22
Documentary Revisits E. Jean Carroll’s Trump Fight as $83.3 Million Judgment Awaits Appeal
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 22
$83.3 million in defamation damages that Donald Trump owes E. Jean Carroll remains on hold after an appellate court let him delay payment while the Supreme Court weighs his appeal.
“Ask E. Jean,” a new 91-minute documentary by Ivy Meeropol, uses that legal fight to revisit Carroll’s 2019 decision to accuse Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s.
Carroll and two friends she told shortly after the encounter describe why she stayed silent for decades, centering the fear of backlash women can face after accusing powerful men of sexual assault.
The film also folds in Carroll’s broader legal victories, including the $5 million civil judgment that found Trump sexually abused and defamed her, framing the cases within her long public career.
How does media treat accusations against celebrities, and does it affect public perception of the survivor?
With old evidence gone, how can 'lookback' laws secure justice for sexual assault survivors decades later?
Why are distributors reportedly hesitant to release a documentary about a successful high-profile lawsuit?
E. Jean Carroll v. Donald Trump: Supreme Court Appeals, $88 Million Verdicts, and the Future of Survivor Advocacy
Overview
As of May 2026, Donald Trump is appealing two major jury verdicts in the E. Jean Carroll defamation cases. The first lawsuit, decided in 2023, found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million. After the Second Circuit upheld this verdict and denied further appeals, Trump took the case to the Supreme Court. In a second lawsuit, a jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in January 2024, and the appeals court also upheld this decision. Now, both verdicts are poised for possible Supreme Court review, marking a critical moment in this high-profile legal battle.