The United States Supreme Court has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s appeal for the second time regarding 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 justices declined to reconsider their previous decision from June. The court’s order was unsigned and provided no explanation, as it rarely grants requests for reconsideration.
Apart from this case, the Supreme Court is 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 lawyers claim that presidential immunity shields him from Carroll’s claims and that lower courts incorrectly ruled that he had forfeited that defense.
The legal battle between Trump and Carroll began when she alleged in 2019 that Trump had raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. Trump denied these claims, calling them a “hoax” and a “con job.” The $5-million US verdict stemmed from Trump’s statements in 2022 on social media, where he dismissed Carroll’s claims. Although the jury found Trump had sexually abused and defamed Carroll, they did not conclude that he had raped her as she had alleged.
Following the Supreme Court’s denial of Trump’s appeal in June, Carroll received nearly $5.63 million US from Trump, which included the original $5-million US civil verdict plus interest. Trump’s lawyers argued that the issue of presidential immunity in the $83.3-million US verdict case could impact the previous verdict. The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 2024 affirmed former presidents’ immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken during their time in office, while the Carroll cases remain civil lawsuits.