US Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Appeal in E. Jean Carroll Sexual Abuse Case
The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump’s appeal seeking to overturn a $5 million jury verdict awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving in place a finding that Trump sexually abused and defamed her.
The decision means the court will not review a lower court ruling that upheld the 2023 verdict. A federal jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the mid-1990s and for defaming her through public statements denying her allegations.
Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, first publicly accused Trump in 2019, alleging that he sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan around 1996. Trump denied the allegations and claimed the accusations were fabricated.
Trump argued that the trial was unfair because jurors were allowed to hear evidence related to other allegations of sexual misconduct and statements from the 2016 “Access Hollywood” recording. However, appellate courts previously ruled that the evidence was properly admitted.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump criticized the case on social media and vowed to continue challenging the rulings against him.
The case stems from comments Trump made in 2022, when he described Carroll’s allegations as a “hoax” and a “con job.” Jurors concluded those statements were defamatory and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
In a separate defamation lawsuit, Carroll also won an $83.3 million judgment in 2024 over statements Trump made in 2019 while serving as president. A federal appeals court later upheld that verdict as well.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into whether Carroll committed perjury during testimony connected to the civil lawsuits, according to reports disclosed earlier this year.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the appeal effectively ends Trump’s challenge to the $5 million verdict at the nation’s highest court.
