Supreme Court Rejects Trump Appeal, Leaving $5M E. Jean Carroll Verdict Intact
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Donald Trump’s appeal of a $5 million verdict won by writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving intact a jury’s finding that Trump sexually abused and defamed her.
The court rejected the case in a brief, unexplained order with no noted dissents, according to The Associated Press. The decision means Trump’s Supreme Court challenge to this specific judgment is over, barring an extraordinary procedural development.
The case came from Carroll’s civil lawsuit in New York federal court. A jury in 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s and defaming her in 2022 statements. Jurors awarded Carroll $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict, finding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing testimony from two other women and a 2005 recording involving Trump.
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Trump’s lawyers had argued that the evidence unfairly influenced the jury and violated federal evidence rules. AP reported that his legal team framed the case as part of what it called “Witch Hunts” and “Liberal Lawfare.” Carroll’s lawyers argued the evidence was relevant and that the case did not present a question worthy of Supreme Court review.
The ruling does not resolve every Carroll-related judgment against Trump. Carroll separately won an $83.3 million defamation verdict tied to Trump’s 2019 denials, and AP reported that Trump is still appealing that judgment.
News outlets and political accounts on Threads highlighted that the Supreme Court would not intervene in Carroll’s $5 million win. The verified public reaction so far is better described as rapid amplification than as broad, measurable backlash.
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