The United States Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s appeal for the second time regarding a $5 million verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine columnist. The jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, stemming from allegations of an incident in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s.
In June, the Supreme Court denied Trump’s appeal of the 2023 jury verdict, with his lawyers arguing that the trial was unfair. The recent order from the court, which was unsigned and provided no explanation, is a rare instance of rejecting a request for reconsideration.
Additionally, the court is considering Trump’s appeal of an $83.3 million jury verdict for defaming Carroll during his first term as president in 2019. Trump’s lawyers claim that presidential immunity protects him from Carroll’s claims and that lower courts erroneously ruled against this defense.
The legal battle between Trump and Carroll began when she alleged in a memoir excerpt in 2019 that Trump had raped her in the mid-1990s in a Manhattan store. Trump has consistently denied these claims, calling them lies. The $5 million verdict stemmed from Trump’s statements in 2022 on social media, where he dismissed Carroll’s accusations as a “hoax” and a “con job.”
In June, following the Supreme Court’s denial of Trump’s appeal, Carroll received nearly $5.63 million from Trump, representing the original civil verdict plus interest. Trump’s lawyers have raised concerns that the issue of presidential immunity in the $83.3 million verdict could impact the 2023 decision. The Supreme Court previously established full immunity for former presidents from criminal prosecution for actions taken within their constitutional powers while in office, a ruling that does not apply to civil lawsuits like the Carroll cases.
