The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Donald Trump's bid to overturn a $5 million verdict in favor of E Jean Carroll, a case in which a jury found him liable for sexually abusing the former magazine columnist and then defaming her.
Appeal Rejected
The justices turned away the president's appeal after a lower court upheld the 2023 jury verdict and rejected Trump's arguments that the trial was unfair because the judge impermissibly let jurors hear evidence of his alleged past sexual misconduct. The decision effectively ends Trump's legal challenge to the verdict, which he had sought to overturn on procedural grounds.
Background of the Case
Trump has been battling Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, ever since she published an excerpt from her memoir in 2019 in which she alleged that Trump had raped her in around 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan. Trump denied Carroll's claims and asserted that she lied about the accusations both in 2019 while he was still serving his first term as president, and again in 2022 when he was out of office.
The jury in 2023 found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. The verdict was upheld by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 2024, prompting Trump's appeal to the Supreme Court.
Impact and Next Steps
The Supreme Court's rejection of the appeal means the verdict stands, and Trump will be required to pay the $5 million judgment. This is one of several legal battles Trump faces, including ongoing criminal trials and other civil cases. The decision also underscores the court's reluctance to intervene in cases where lower courts have thoroughly reviewed the evidence and legal arguments.
More details on the case and its implications are expected to emerge as legal proceedings continue in related matters.
