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 court’s order, which came without explanation, denied his request for reconsideration.
Additionally, the Supreme Court is 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 protects him from Carroll’s claims and that lower courts wrongly ruled against this defense.
The legal battle between Trump and Carroll began when she accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s in a Manhattan department store dressing room. Trump has consistently denied these allegations and called them a “hoax” and a “con job.” Jurors in a 2023 case found Trump guilty of sexually abusing and defaming Carroll but did not agree that he had raped her.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in June, Carroll received nearly $5.63 million US from Trump, including the original $5-million US civil verdict plus interest. Trump’s lawyers are concerned that the issue of presidential immunity in the $83.3-million US verdict could impact the 2023 ruling. The Supreme Court previously established that former presidents have full immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken in office, but the Carroll cases are civil lawsuits.