Fact-check analysisUpdated October 12, 2026Curated by FactVerify
True

Alina Habba declared E. Jean Carroll will receive zero dollars from the $83 million settlement and will have to pay Trump's legal fees.

Attorney Alina Habba publicly stated during media appearances that E. Jean Carroll would receive nothing from the multimillion-dollar defamation award and would instead pay legal fees, a claim verified by media reports documenting her televised remarks.

Trump Lawyer Alina Habba Backtracks on Wild Allegation Against Judge in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

Trump Lawyer Alina Habba Backtracks on Wild Allegation Against Judge in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

Source: mediaite.com

At a glance

Key Evidence

Verified October 12, 2026
  • Alina Habba publicly declared in media appearances that E. Jean Carroll would receive zero dollars from the settlement.

  • Habba also vowed to sue Carroll to recover legal fees for Donald Trump.

The reporting

What the Evidence Shows

Following the jury verdict in the defamation litigation, attorney Alina Habba made high-profile media appearances where she asserted that E. Jean Carroll would ultimately collect zero dollars from the eighty-three million dollar judgment.mediaite.commediaite.comTrump Lawyer Alina Habba Rants E. Jean Carroll Will Get ‘ZERO’ From $83MJean Carroll Jean Carroll $83.3 million for defamation, Alina Habba publicly declared in media appearances and comments that Carroll would ultimately receive "zero" dollars and asserted that Trump's legal team would successfully overturn... Habba further vowed to pursue legal action to make Carroll cover the legal expenses incurred by Donald Trump.

Mediaite documented these statements during public interviews where the defense attorney outlined her strategy for challenging the financial penalties. Subsequent judicial developments and appellate proceedings continued to test these legal challenges, but the statement regarding Habba's public declarations is accurately captured by the reporting.mediaite.commediaite.comTrump Lawyer Alina Habba Backtracks on Wild Allegation Against Judge in E. Jean...Jean Carroll by a New York federal jury in January 2024newsweek.comnewsweek.comE Jean Carrol Mocks Alina Habba Receiving 5 7m Trump CaseThe Judgment Upheld: Trump's legal challenges and attempts to have the verdict thrown out or substantially reduced were unsuccessful in the courts Jean Carroll collected millions from the judgments stemming from her litigation against...+1 more

Primary trail

Verified Sources4

Trump Lawyer Alina Habba Backtracks on Wild Allegation Against Judge in E. Jean...

mediaite.com
Open source

E Jean Carrol Mocks Alina Habba Receiving 5 7m Trump Case

newsweek.com
Open source

Trumps Lawyer Wants E Jean Carroll Verdict Thrown Out Because of Judges Conflict...

forbes.com
Open source
Transparency

Revision history

  1. Version 2October 12, 2026

    The original check focused on whether the financial outcome itself was a confirmed fact, labeling the claim misleading because Habba's statements were unconfirmed legal posturing. The fresh research correctly clarifies that the core claim is simply whether Alina Habba *declared* these things (i.e., whether she made the public statements), which is fully supported and verified by media reports.

    Misleading → True
  2. Version 1August 30, 2025

    Initial published version

    Misleading
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