Trump Denies, But Ultimately Pays 8.4 Billion Won in Damages to Sexual Assault Victim from 30 Years Ago

Sexual Assault of Female Writer at Manhattan Department Store in 1996

U.S. Supreme Court Recently Dismisses Trump’s Final Appeal

U.S. President Donald Trump has paid compensation to a sexual assault victim for the first time in nearly 30 years, amounting to around 8 billion won.

E Jean Carroll (left) and President Trump, who filed a civil lawsuit for sexual assault and defamation. AFP Yonhap News.

According to a report by The New York Times (NYT) on July 14 (local time), which cited court records, President Trump paid 5.62 million dollars (approximately 8.4 billion won) in damages to fashion columnist E. Jean Carroll, the victim in a civil case stemming from the outcome of his 2023 trial.

Carroll filed a lawsuit for damages, claiming that she was sexually assaulted by President Trump in the dressing room of the lingerie department at Bergdorf Goodman in central Manhattan, New York, in the 1990s, and won the case in May 2023. At the time, although the jury did not find sufficient evidence of rape, it did determine that President Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll.

President Trump strongly criticized the Supreme Court's decision and, via his social media, said it was a "fake event fabricated by a woman I have never met," adding, "I will continue fighting to the end against politically motivated weaponization of the justice system and legal attacks targeting me."

He also denied the sexual assault allegation, insisting that Carroll was lying. He dismissed the verdict as a "disgrace to the judiciary" and reiterated that he had never even met Carroll in his life.

President Trump appealed the initial ruling, but the appellate court upheld the lower court’s decision, prompting him to file a petition for review with the Supreme Court in November last year.

However, on June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Trump’s request to reconsider the verdict of his lost sexual abuse case.

As a result, the original decision for President Trump to pay Carroll 5 million dollars in damages plus interest was upheld. President Trump denounced the Supreme Court’s ruling and stated he would "continue to fight."

During his first term at the White House, President Trump claimed that Carroll had fabricated the story as a novel to promote her book. Carroll subsequently filed a separate defamation lawsuit against President Trump regarding those comments. In January 2024, the district court ordered President Trump to pay 83.3 million dollars (approximately 128.5 billion won) in damages for defamation, a ruling that was also affirmed by the appellate court in September last year. President Trump’s legal team has indicated plans to soon petition the Supreme Court regarding this civil case as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.