The Supreme Court issued an unsigned order on Monday, marking the second time the justices have declined to intervene in President Trump’s appeal concerning a jury’s determination that he is liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll. The court’s decision effectively maintains its stance from June, leaving the lower court’s findings intact.
The underlying legal dispute stems from a 2023 civil trial in New York, where a federal jury concluded that Mr. Trump should pay $5 million in damages. The case centered on allegations that he forcefully penetrated Carroll with his fingers in a department store dressing room during the 1990s and subsequently lied about the encounter after she went public in 2019. A unanimous jury, consisting of six men and three women, deliberated for less than three hours before finding that the evidence supported Carroll’s claims. By this summer, Carroll had received a total of $5.62 million, a figure that included interest accrued since the initial trial.
Throughout the proceedings, Mr. Trump has consistently denied the allegations, characterizing them as a “hoax” and questioning Carroll’s character. He did not attend the first trial and called no witnesses. While he did testify briefly during a separate 2024 defamation trial—where a jury awarded Carroll more than $83 million—he has continued to reject the claims. In response to the latest Supreme Court order, a spokesperson for Mr. Trump’s legal team reiterated a previous statement, dismissing the developments as a “Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes.”
Regarding the current appeal, Mr. Trump’s legal representatives had argued that an appeals panel failed to properly address whether he held presidential immunity when he made the statements about Carroll. While the Supreme Court has declined this specific request, it has yet to issue a final ruling on the broader question of presidential immunity as it pertains to his other legal efforts. The court’s refusal to hear this case confirms that the previous judgment remains in place. The report also notes that carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, had asked the jury to award Carroll enough to “make him stop” defaming her client.
