The United States Supreme Court has once again rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s appeal in the case involving a $5-million US verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll. The jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming the former magazine columnist. Trump’s lawyers argued that the trial was unfair, but the court declined to reconsider its previous decision from June.
Additionally, the justices are also considering Trump’s appeal of a separate $83.3-million US jury verdict for defaming Carroll during his first term as president. Trump’s legal team claims that presidential immunity protects him from Carroll’s claims and that lower courts erred in ruling against this defense.
The ongoing legal battle stems from Carroll’s allegations that Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s. Trump has consistently denied these claims and has branded them as false. In a previous case, Trump was found to have defamed Carroll in a social media post where he labeled her claim as a “hoax” and a “con job.”
Following the Supreme Court’s denial of Trump’s appeal, Carroll received nearly $5.63 million US from Trump, including the original $5-million US civil verdict plus interest. Trump’s lawyers raised concerns that the issue of presidential immunity, as highlighted in a landmark 2024 Supreme Court decision, could impact the previous verdict and subsequent legal proceedings. The Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that former presidents have immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken within their core constitutional powers while in office, though the Carroll cases are civil lawsuits.