The Supreme Court declined to hear President Donald Trump's challenge to a jury finding that he sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving a $5 million civil judgment intact.
The justices' refusal to take up the appeal Monday marks a significant legal defeat for Trump in a case that has dogged his political return. The 2023 jury verdict stands unchanged, along with the financial liability it imposed.
Carroll sued Trump in Manhattan federal court after alleging he assaulted her in a department store dressing room in 1996. When she later challenged his public statements dismissing her claims as a "con job" and "hoax," she added defamation counts to the lawsuit. Carroll first spoke publicly about the alleged assault in 2019 and filed suit three years later under a New York law designed to help long-ago survivors of sexual abuse pursue claims.
Trump has consistently denied the allegations. His legal team argued Carroll waited to file until after he reached the presidency, timing her lawsuit to inflict maximum political damage and financial gain. They also pointed out she never reported the incident to police and had no witnesses to corroborate her account.
At the appellate level, Trump's lawyers attacked U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan's handling of the trial. They objected to his decision to allow testimony from two other women, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who had accused Trump of separate instances of sexual misconduct. Trump also denies those allegations.
The defense also challenged Kaplan's ruling to let jurors see the "Access Hollywood" recording in which Trump made disparaging remarks about women. Trump's team argued these rulings collectively prejudiced the case by allowing evidence unrelated to Carroll's specific claims while obscuring the weakness of her direct proof.
Carroll's legal team countered that the evidence properly demonstrated Trump's pattern of conduct toward women and his propensity to act as she described. They noted that the federal appeals court, which upheld the verdict in 2024, determined these evidentiary questions did not drive the outcome anyway.
The Supreme Court's action closes the door on this particular dispute, though Carroll's legal battles with Trump extend further. She won an $83.3 million judgment in a separate defamation case stemming from statements Trump made while in office. That case remains under appeal, with Trump invoking presidential immunity as a shield against the claims.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The Court's silence here is deafening for Trump, and the $5 million verdict now has the weight of finality behind it."
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