WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump's appeal seeking to overturn a $5 million civil verdict awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving intact a jury's finding that he was liable for sexually abusing her and defaming her in a case stemming from allegations dating to the mid-1990s.
The justices denied Trump's petition without comment, as is customary in most cases, and no justice publicly noted a dissent. The decision leaves in place a ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld the 2023 federal jury verdict in Carroll's favor.
Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, sued Trump after he denied her allegation that he sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan around 1996. In May 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and for defaming Carroll through statements made in 2022, awarding her $5 million in damages. The jury did not find Trump liable for rape under the applicable New York law.
In asking the Supreme Court to review the case, Trump's lawyers argued that the trial judge improperly permitted jurors to hear testimony from two other women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct, as well as the 2005 "Access Hollywood" recording in which Trump made vulgar remarks about women. They contended that the evidence unfairly prejudiced the jury.
The appeals court rejected those arguments, concluding that the challenged evidence was properly admitted under federal evidentiary rules and that any potential error would not have affected the outcome.
Trump has consistently denied Carroll's allegations, describing the case as politically motivated and maintaining that the encounter she described never occurred. Following Monday's order, Trump again criticized the litigation in public statements and said he would continue contesting the claims.
The Supreme Court's action does not affect a separate defamation judgment in Carroll's favor. In a second civil trial, a federal jury in 2024 awarded Carroll $83.3 million after finding Trump defamed her through statements made while he was president. Trump is continuing to challenge that judgment through the courts.
With Monday's order, the Supreme Court has concluded its involvement in the $5 million case, leaving the lower court's judgment in force while related litigation over the separate defamation award remains pending.
