The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump's appeal seeking to overturn a $5 million civil verdict awarded to writer and former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, effectively allowing the jury's decision to remain in place.
The decision marks another significant legal setback for Trump in his long-running legal battle with Carroll, who accused him of sexually abusing her during an encounter at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has consistently denied the allegations and has repeatedly argued that the claims were fabricated.
The Supreme Court's refusal to hear the case leaves intact a lower court ruling that upheld a 2023 jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and later defaming her through public statements denying her allegations. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages after concluding that Trump's statements harmed her reputation.
Trump reacted to the Supreme Court's decision by expressing disappointment and reiterating his position that the case was politically motivated. In a statement posted on social media, he described the lawsuit as a "fake case" and vowed to continue fighting what he characterized as politically driven legal actions against him.
Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, stating that it effectively confirms the jury's unanimous findings and brings another chapter of the legal battle to a close. She argued that Trump's repeated appeals had failed and that the court's decision reinforces accountability under the legal system.
The legal dispute dates back to 2019, when Carroll published allegations in a memoir claiming that Trump assaulted her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City during the 1990s. Trump denied the accusation and publicly stated that Carroll's claims were false.
A federal jury in Manhattan ruled in 2023 that Trump had sexually abused and defamed Carroll, although jurors did not conclude that he committed rape as specifically alleged in Carroll's lawsuit. The verdict awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
In 2024, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict, rejecting arguments from Trump's legal team that the trial was unfair. The appeals court determined that evidence presented during the trial, including recordings and testimony concerning previous allegations of sexual misconduct, was legally admissible and relevant to the case.
Trump's attorneys argued before the Supreme Court that the trial court improperly allowed jurors to hear testimony regarding allegations unrelated to Carroll's claims, asserting that such evidence unfairly influenced the outcome of the trial.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to face additional legal consequences related to Carroll's accusations. In a separate defamation case, a jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million after concluding that Trump's public statements made in 2019 also defamed her. An appeals court later declined to overturn that verdict as well.
The Supreme Court's decision not to hear the appeal effectively ends Trump's latest attempt to challenge the original $5 million judgment, leaving both the verdict and the broader legal findings against him intact.
