US Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Appeal, Leaves $5 Million E. Jean Carroll Verdict Intact

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump's appeal seeking to overturn a $5 million jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s and later defaming her.

In a brief, unexplained order, the court declined to hear the case, leaving intact the 2023 verdict that found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan in 1996 and defaming her by denying her allegations in 2022.

Trump's lawyers argued the trial was unfair because the judge allowed testimony from two other women who had accused him of sexual abuse decades earlier, calling the evidence "highly inflammatory" and a violation of federal evidence rules. They also contended the case burdened Trump's duties as president, although the verdict was delivered before his return to the White House.

Carroll's legal team urged the justices to reject the appeal, arguing the testimony was relevant due to the similarities in the allegations and that the trial judge's rulings followed established legal standards.

Trump has denied all allegations. He is separately appealing an $83.3 million defamation award granted to Carroll after a second trial, though that case has not yet reached the Supreme Court.

The ruling leaves one of the most significant civil judgments against Trump in place as the court continues to decide several high-profile cases involving his administration.