The Supreme Court has declined to review Donald Trump's challenge to a jury verdict finding him liable for sexual abuse, letting stand a $5 million judgment handed down by a New York federal court.
The decision effectively closes off Trump's final avenue for appeal in the case brought by former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. A federal jury determined in January that Trump sexually abused Carroll and defamed her with public statements denying the allegations.
By refusing to hear the case, the justices left the lower court ruling intact without comment. The move represents a significant setback for Trump, who had argued the verdict should be overturned or the damages reduced.
The case centered on Carroll's claim that Trump attacked her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Trump has consistently denied the accusation, asserting it never occurred. The jury sided with Carroll on both the abuse claim and the defamation count, resulting in the substantial damages award.
This rejection comes as Trump faces multiple legal challenges on various fronts. The Supreme Court's refusal to intervene in the Carroll matter removes one contested item from his legal slate, though it does not resolve the broader litigation landscape surrounding the former president.
The New York verdict stands as one of the more tangible judicial outcomes against Trump in recent years, with the damages now secure absent any settlement or further legal maneuver at the state level.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Supreme Court's silence here speaks volumes. Trump ran out of courtroom options, and that $5 million judgment is going nowhere."
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