JUNE 29, 2026
Supreme Court Declines Trump's Appeal of $5 Million E. Jean Carroll Sexual Abuse and Defamation Verdict
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump's appeal of a $5 million civil verdict finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The justices denied Trump's petition without comment, as is customary, allowing the lower court's ruling to stand. At least four justices would have needed to vote to take up the case.
A federal jury in New York found Trump liable in 2023 for sexually abusing Carroll in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in 1996 and for defaming her through statements he made in 2022 denying the allegation. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. While jurors did not find Trump liable for rape under New York's legal definition in effect at the time, they concluded he had sexually abused Carroll.
Trump's attorneys had argued before the Supreme Court that the trial was tainted by evidentiary rulings that allowed jurors to hear testimony from two other women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct, as well as the 2005 Access Hollywood recording. They argued that evidence unfairly prejudiced the jury and warranted a new trial. The court declined to take up those arguments.
CNN reported that the decision means Trump will now have to pay Carroll. A separate appeal of an additional $83.3 million awarded to Carroll after a second defamation trial is still pending and has not yet reached the Supreme Court, according to the Washington Examiner.