What Happened to Elizabeth Jean Carroll?

Elizabeth Jean Carroll, born December 12, 1943, is a prominent American journalist, author, and former advice columnist for Elle magazine, where her 'Ask E. Jean' column ran from 1993 to 2019. Her career also includes writing for publications like The Atlantic and Vanity Fair, and authoring several books.

The trajectory of Carroll's public life dramatically shifted in June 2019 with the publication of her memoir, 'What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal.' In the book, she publicly accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump vehemently denied the allegations, claiming he never knew Carroll and that she was 'not his type,' which led Carroll to file her first defamation lawsuit (Carroll I) against him in November 2019.

A key turning point occurred in November 2022 when Carroll filed a second lawsuit (Carroll II) under New York's Adult Survivors Act, a law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for sexual assault claims. This suit included claims of battery and defamation based on Trump's renewed denials in October 2022. The trial for Carroll II commenced in April 2023, and on May 9, 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her, awarding her $5 million in damages. While the jury did not find him liable for rape under New York's narrow legal definition, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan later clarified that the verdict meant Trump did rape her as the term is commonly understood.

The second trial, focusing on Carroll I and Trump's 2019 statements, concluded on January 26, 2024, with a jury awarding Carroll an additional $83.3 million in damages, including $65 million in punitive damages. Trump appealed both verdicts. In September 2025, an appeals court upheld the $83.3 million verdict. In April 2026, the Second Circuit denied Trump's request for an en banc review of the $83.3 million judgment. In May 2026, an appeals court allowed Trump to delay payment of the $83 million, pending a Supreme Court review, but required him to post a $7.4 million bond to cover interest.

As of June 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's appeal of the initial $5 million verdict, allowing that judgment to stand. This decision paved the way for a federal judge to order on July 8, 2026, that Carroll be paid the $5 million, plus accrued interest, totaling $5.8 million. Trump's lawyers immediately filed a notice of appeal against this payment order. Additionally, in May 2026, it was reported that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation into Carroll for alleged perjury related to her testimony about legal fees. Carroll's memoir about the lawsuits, 'Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President,' was published in June 2025 and debuted at #2 on the New York Times best-seller list.