The defense
“The Carroll case was thrown out / is still being appealed.”
Strong evidenceWhat the record shows
There are two judgments, and they are not in the same posture. The $5 million judgment (Second Circuit No. 23-793) was affirmed on December 30, 2024. The Supreme Court docket for that appeal lists the lower-court rehearing denial as June 13, 2025. Trump v. Carroll, No. 25-573, was filed November 10, 2025, and docketed November 13, 2025. The Court denied certiorari on June 29, 2026, and denied rehearing on August 17, 2026. That docket is closed. The $83.3 million judgment is S.D.N.Y. No. 1:20-cv-07311, entered February 8, 2024. The Second Circuit affirmed it on September 8, 2025 (No. 24-644) and denied rehearing en banc on April 29, 2026. A separate petition, No. 26-141, was filed July 28, 2026, and docketed July 30, 2026. On October 30, 2026, E. Jean Carroll submitted her brief in opposition. The docket does not yet show the petition distributed for conference. That petition was still pending on November 3, 2026. On March 12, 2024, the district court approved an amended supersedeas bond of $91,630,000 and stayed execution of the $83.3 million damages judgment pending the Second Circuit appeal. On May 11, 2026, the Second Circuit stayed its mandate pending a cert petition, on the condition that the bond be increased by $7,462,492.74 within 21 days. The entries read for this update do not show that increase, and they do not show a payment to E. Jean Carroll. Last verified: November 3, 2026.
Sources
- Trump v. Carroll, No. 25-573 (U.S.) — petition filed November 10, 2025; certiorari denied June 29, 2026; rehearing denied August 17, 2026
- Trump v. Carroll, No. 26-141 (U.S.) — petition filed July 28, 2026; brief in opposition submitted October 30, 2026
- Carroll v. Trump, No. 1:20-cv-07311 (S.D.N.Y.) — CourtListener docket, including the March 12, 2024 bond and stay order
- Carroll v. Trump, No. 24-644 (2d Cir.) — affirmed September 8, 2025
- Carroll v. Trump, No. 24-644 (2d Cir.) — rehearing en banc denied April 29, 2026
- Carroll v. Trump, No. 24-644 (2d Cir.) — May 11, 2026 order staying the mandate, conditioned on a bond increase
Last updated November 3, 2026
Other common defenses
- “He was never charged with anything.”
- “The allegations are unverified — just accusations.”
- “He banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago.”
- “He cooperated with investigators.”
- “The DOJ said the claims against Trump are false.”
- “Democrats are just using this to attack him.”
- “Why didn't Carroll report it at the time?”
- “Where can I read the Epstein files?”
- “The Epstein files didn't prove anything about Trump.”
- “A jury didn't specifically find him guilty of rape.”