The Supreme Court has declined to hear Donald Trump's bid to overturn a jury verdict that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll, closing off what amounted to his final legal avenue in the case.
Trump sought emergency relief from the justices after a jury determined he had sexually abused Carroll and subsequently defamed her through public statements. The rejection marks a significant setback for the former president, who had hoped the nation's highest court would intervene on his behalf.
The verdict itself stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Carroll, who accused Trump of assaulting her in the 1990s and then damaging her reputation by repeatedly denying the allegations and attacking her credibility. The jury's finding exposed Trump to substantial liability, including the $5 million judgment he sought to overturn through the Supreme Court petition.
By declining to take the case, the Supreme Court left the jury verdict and the damages award intact without explanation or dissent noted publicly. Such refusals at the high court level typically signal that justices saw no grounds warranting the court's intervention, either on constitutional or practical grounds.
The decision removes a potential lifeline for Trump in what has become one of the costliest legal consequences he has faced outside his criminal proceedings. With the Supreme Court's door now closed, his remaining options in the Carroll matter have narrowed considerably.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This was Trump's long shot and he knew it, but the Supreme Court's silence is deafening."
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