The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in President Donald Trump’s obligation to pay $5 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation, rejecting his argument that a sitting president should not be forced to defend against decades-old accusations.
On June 29, the court refused to review the 2023 jury verdict against Trump in Carroll’s civil lawsuit. This marks a rare instance where the conservative-leaning 6-3 court did not side with Trump on a personal legal matter, despite its history of supporting his presidential actions during litigation.
Trump’s appeal in the Carroll case was his first request for Supreme Court involvement in a personal legal issue since returning to office. During the 2024 campaign, the court’s ruling on presidential immunity for official acts weakened the federal criminal case against Trump over alleged election interference. Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped those charges after Trump’s election victory, citing Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
Although Carroll’s lawsuit involves events predating Trump’s presidency and is civil, not criminal, his lawyers argued it is “deeply damaging to the fabric of our Republic” for him to divert attention from presidential duties to fight “decades-old, false allegations.” They claimed Carroll waited over 20 years to bring her “implausible” claims to maximize political harm and personal profit, noting her allegations mirror a plot from her favorite TV show, “Law & Order.”
Trump’s legal team also contended the jury should not have heard testimony from two other women accusing Trump of assault or the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape where he bragged about grabbing women. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected these arguments, ruling any evidentiary errors did not affect Trump’s substantial rights given the strength of Carroll’s case.
This verdict is not the only loss Trump faced. In 2024, another jury ordered him to pay Carroll $83.3 million for comments disputing her claims. The 2nd Circuit rejected three appeals of that judgment, and Trump’s lawyers are preparing a Supreme Court appeal.
Carroll first alleged in 2019 that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store in 1996. Trump denied it, claiming she fabricated the story for book sales. She sued, winning the $83.3 million judgment. When Trump repeated his denial in a 2022 social media post, Carroll sued again under a New York law allowing sexual abuse survivors a special window to file claims. A 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse, resulting in the $5 million verdict now upheld by the Supreme Court.
