Supreme Court again rebuffs Trump’s push to toss out $5 million verdict in E. Jean Carroll case

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed President Donald Trump's request to overturn a $5 million jury verdict that found him guilty of sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll and defaming her in a 1990s encounter at a New York City department store. Trump's legal team had appealed the court's refusal to hear his appeal earlier that month.

The Republican president had already paid the judgment shortly after the court declined to grant his appeal in June. Trump and the Justice Department are also seeking to have a $83 million verdict against him dismissed, arguing he is immune from lawsuits over his comments about Carroll made in 2019 when he was president. The high court has yet to rule on that appeal.

E. Jean Carroll, a former TV talk show host and advice columnist, testified at a 2023 trial that the encounter Trump had with her turned violent and that he denied her allegation in 2022. Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court's decision, stating that the jury's unanimous verdict that Trump sexually assaulted and defamed Carroll is now final and cannot be challenged in any court.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The Associated Press does not identify individuals who allege they have been sexually assaulted unless they do so publicly, as Carroll has done.