Supreme Court rejects Trump appeal in E. Jean Carroll civil case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from former President Donald Trump challenging a $5 million jury verdict in a civil case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The court's decision, issued without comment, leaves in place a 2023 finding that Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

The case stems from a trial last year where a federal jury in Manhattan found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. The jury also concluded that he defamed her when he later denied the encounter. Jurors awarded Carroll $5 million in damages for the abuse and the subsequent defamatory statements.

Appeal Challenged Trial Evidence

In his appeal, Trump's legal team argued that the trial was fundamentally unfair. They contended that the presiding judge improperly permitted the jury to hear evidence related to other, separate allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by other women. His lawyers asserted that this testimony was prejudicial and should not have been allowed during the proceedings.

Before the case reached the Supreme Court, a federal appeals court had already reviewed and rejected these same arguments. That court upheld the 2023 jury verdict, finding no error in the trial judge's decision-making regarding the evidence presented to the jury. This lower court ruling affirmed the original judgment, prompting the final appeal to the nation's highest court.

With the Supreme Court's refusal to intervene, Trump has exhausted his federal appellate options in this specific case. The $5 million verdict is now legally final, confirming the judgment against him for the sexual abuse and defamation of Carroll.