Supreme Court Hands Trump A Major Loss

The Supreme Court has once again declined to hear President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a jury verdict requiring him to pay more than $5 million to E. Jean Carroll in a case involving sexual abuse and defamation allegations.

The decision leaves the jury’s finding in place and represents another setback for Trump’s legal team, which has repeatedly challenged the verdict. The Supreme Court had already rejected an earlier effort to overturn the civil judgment, and the justices did not provide an explanation for their latest refusal, which is typical when the court declines to hear a case.

Carroll has already received the more than $5 million awarded to her. Her attorneys previously said the money would be held in an interest-bearing account while Trump continued pursuing legal options.

Trump’s lawyers had asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its earlier decision not to intervene, pointing to a separate legal battle involving presidential immunity. They have argued that Trump should be protected from liability for certain statements he made while serving as president.

The latest ruling does not resolve that separate dispute. Trump’s legal team is still challenging another judgment requiring him to pay Carroll $83.3 million for defamation.

Carroll’s legal battles with Trump began years ago. She filed her first lawsuit in 2019, accusing Trump of defaming her after he publicly denied her allegations that he sexually assaulted her at a New York department store in the 1990s.

She filed another lawsuit in 2022 that included allegations of sexual assault and defamation based on additional statements made by Trump. That case went to trial first, and in May 2023, a jury found Trump liable and awarded Carroll $5 million.

A separate jury later considered Carroll’s defamation claims and awarded her $83.3 million. Trump’s attorneys challenged that judgment in federal appeals court but were unsuccessful.

His legal team has continued fighting the larger award and has asked the Supreme Court to consider whether presidential immunity should shield Trump from liability for statements made while he was president.

Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, welcomed the Supreme Court’s latest decision, arguing that the jury’s verdict is now final and cannot be challenged further through the courts.

Trump’s representatives, meanwhile, have continued to strongly dispute the allegations and have characterized the legal proceedings as politically motivated.

The Supreme Court’s decision means Trump has now lost another opportunity to overturn the $5 million judgment. While his separate appeal involving the $83.3 million award remains unresolved, the latest ruling adds another significant legal defeat to the long-running dispute between Trump and Carroll.