In a second rejection of U.S. President Donald Trump’s appeal, the United States Supreme Court has declined to review a $5 million US judgment in favor of E. Jean Carroll. A jury had found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation of the former magazine columnist. Trump’s legal team argued that the trial was unfair, but the justices refused to reconsider their earlier decision in June, which upheld the 2023 jury verdict related to allegations of rape in a Manhattan store in the 1990s.
The court’s order was brief and did not provide any reasoning, as such requests for reconsideration are rarely granted. Additionally, the Supreme Court is currently considering Trump’s appeal of a separate $83.3 million US defamation verdict from 2019, when he was president. Trump’s lawyers claim that presidential immunity protects him from Carroll’s accusations and that lower courts erred in ruling against this defense.
The legal battle between Trump and Carroll, a former advice columnist, began in 2019 after she accused him of rape. Trump has consistently denied the allegations, calling them false and labeling them a hoax. The $5 million US verdict stemmed from Trump’s statements in 2022, where he dismissed Carroll’s claims as a hoax and a con job on social media. The jury found Trump guilty of sexual abuse and defamation but did not confirm Carroll’s rape allegation.
After the Supreme Court’s rejection of Trump’s appeal, Carroll received nearly $5.63 million US from Trump, which included the original $5 million US verdict plus interest. Trump’s lawyers have raised concerns about the impact of presidential immunity on both the $83.3 million US defamation verdict and the earlier case. The Supreme Court’s landmark 2024 decision established that former presidents have immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken during their presidency, although the Carroll cases are civil lawsuits.
