WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump’s appeal of the $5 million civil judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll, allowing a lower court’s ruling against the president to stand.
The justices denied Trump’s petition without comment, the court’s customary practice when it declines to review a case. The decision leaves in place a jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll during an encounter at a New York department store in the mid-1990s and later defaming her through public statements denying her allegations.
High Court Leaves Lower Court Ruling In Place
Trump asked the Supreme Court to review the case after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.
His attorneys argued that the trial was tainted by evidentiary rulings they described as highly prejudicial, including the admission of testimony from two other women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct and the introduction of the 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording.
The president has consistently denied Carroll’s allegations as well as the accusations made by the other women. His legal team argued the trial should be repeated because the jury was exposed to evidence that should not have been admitted.
Carroll’s Attorneys Defended Trial
Carroll’s legal team maintained that the district court correctly applied federal evidence rules and that the trial was conducted fairly.
A federal jury in 2023 concluded Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages.
Although Carroll alleged Trump raped her, the jury found him liable for sexual abuse under New York law rather than rape, while also concluding that his public denials defamed her.
Separate $83.3 Million Appeal Continues
Monday’s order does not resolve Trump’s separate appeal involving an $83.3 million defamation judgment entered after another jury found he continued to defame Carroll through statements made after she first publicly accused him in 2019.
That case remains on a separate appellate track after a federal appeals court declined to rehear it earlier this year. Trump is continuing to challenge that judgment through additional legal proceedings.
Another Legal Defeat For Trump
The Supreme Court’s decision represents another legal setback for the president in his years-long effort to overturn the civil verdict.
As is typical, the justices did not explain why they declined to take the case, and no justice publicly noted a dissent from the denial of review. The court’s refusal to hear the appeal effectively ends Trump’s challenge to the $5 million judgment, leaving the jury’s findings and damages award in place.
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