The Supreme Court has decided not to consider Donald Trump's appeal of the $5 million defamation and sexual abuse judgment awarded to E. Jean Carroll. This means the verdict from the initial May 2023 trial, where a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, will stand. Trump had sought to overturn this ruling, arguing against the inclusion of testimony from other women alleging assault and the 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape during the trial. This decision marks a significant development as it exhausts one avenue of appeal for Trump regarding this specific case.
This $5 million judgment is distinct from the $83 million defamation judgment Carroll won in a separate trial in January 2024. In the $83 million case, a federal appeals court recently denied Trump's request for a full judicial review, allowing him to now appeal that case directly to the Supreme Court. Trump's legal team has also been trying to substitute the U.S. government as the defendant in the $83 million case, citing presidential immunity for remarks made during his presidency, an argument that has been rejected by lower courts.
E. Jean Carroll's legal team has expressed determination to see the cases through, noting that she is eager for the five-year-old litigation to conclude to achieve justice. The Supreme Court's refusal to hear the $5 million case highlights the increasing finality of the legal battles between Trump and Carroll, with the focus now potentially shifting to the Supreme Court's consideration of the larger $83 million verdict and the associated arguments about presidential immunity and the Westfall Act.
