The United States Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump’s appeal against a jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving in place a US$5 million judgment against the president.
The decision means the original verdict in Carroll’s 2022 civil lawsuit will stand. Carroll alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her by publicly denying the allegation and claiming she had fabricated the incident.
Trump has consistently denied the allegations and maintains that he did not commit any wrongdoing.
A jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll US$5 million in damages.
In a separate defamation lawsuit filed by Carroll in 2019, another jury later awarded her US$83 million in damages. Including accrued interest, Trump now owes Carroll more than US$100 million across the two civil cases.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, welcomed the ruling, saying it reaffirmed the unanimous jury verdict and effectively ended Trump’s attempt to overturn the US$5 million judgment.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team criticized the decision, describing the lawsuits as politically motivated and reiterating that the president would remain focused on his political agenda.
In his appeal, Trump argued that the trial judge had made legal errors by allowing testimony from two other women who accused him of sexual assault and by permitting jurors to view the 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording.
As is customary, the Supreme Court did not provide a reason for declining to hear the appeal.
Trump’s legal team is expected to file a separate appeal asking the Supreme Court to review the larger US$83 million defamation judgment in the coming days.
