Trump's final appeal of E Jean Carroll sex abuse case rejected
✓The US Supreme Court will not hear an appeal requested by President Donald Trump to review the civil case that found he defamed and sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll.
A New York jury awarded Carroll $5m (£3.6m) in damages in 2023 over her civil claim that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, and then branded the incident a hoax on social media.
Trump denied the allegations and repeatedly claimed that the judge who oversaw the civil trial improperly allowed evidence to be presented that affected how the jury viewed him.
A federal appeals court agreed with the jury's verdict last year and said a new trial was not warranted. Trump then asked the highest court to intervene.
The Supreme Court gave no details about their decision not to take up the case, as is customary.
It was Trump's final hope of overturning the jury's unanimous verdict and means he will have to pay Carroll the damages she had been awarded.
Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement that the Supreme Court's decision "affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E Jean Carroll".
"His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today's ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions," she added.
Carroll's counsel had not previously commented on the president's decision to bring a challenge to the Supreme Court.
In a lengthy Truth Social post after the ruling, Trump said he would continue to fight against the "Weaponization and Lawfare Case" including "the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength".
"This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be," he continued.
"New York State created a Law, for an instant speck of time, going back many decades, in order to wrongfully "nab" me. It was tailormade, and this Injustice cannot be allowed to stand!"
In the petition to the Supreme Court, Trump's lawyers argued Carroll's lawyer should not have let jurors see the 2005 Access Hollywood tape that showed the president talking about groping and kissing women.
Trump's comments about the jury's findings in the case led a separate jury to order him to pay Carroll $83m for defaming her. A panel of federal judges denied his appeal of that decision in September.
While Trump was found to have defamed and sexually abused Carroll, the jury rejected her claim of rape as defined in New York's penal code.
Carroll, a former magazine columnist who is now 81, sued Trump for attacking her in the mid-1990s in a department store dressing room in Manhattan. The defamation stemmed from Trump's post on his Truth Social platform in 2022 denying her claim.
Trump has said Carroll was "not my type" and that she had lied.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
The US Supreme Court will not review Donald Trump's appeal of a civil case decided against him by a New York jury in 2023. That jury found Trump sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s and defamed her through statements made on social media in 2022. They awarded Carroll $5m in damages. A subsequent jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll an additional $83m over separate defamation claims. A federal appeals court upheld the initial verdict in 2024. Trump's petition to the Supreme Court has now been declined without explanation, as is standard practice. This closes Trump's final legal avenue to challenge the verdicts. Trump has denied all allegations, claiming the case was improperly constructed and weaponized against him. Carroll's legal team stated the Supreme Court decision confirms the jury's findings. Trump indicated he would continue contesting what he characterizes as unjust legal proceedings.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
The US Supreme Court will not hear an appeal requested by President Donald Trump to review the civil case that found he defamed and sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll.
A New York jury awarded Carroll $5m (£3.6m) in damages in 2023 over her civil claim that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, and then branded the incident a hoax on social media.
Trump denied the allegations and repeatedly claimed that the judge who oversaw the civil trial improperly allowed evidence to be presented that affected how the jury viewed him.
A federal appeals court agreed with the jury's verdict last year and said a new trial was not warranted. Trump then asked the highest court to intervene.
The Supreme Court gave no details about their decision not to take up the case, as is customary.
It was Trump's final hope of overturning the jury's unanimous verdict and means he will have to pay Carroll the damages she had been awarded.
Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement that the Supreme Court's decision "affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E Jean Carroll".
"His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today's ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions," she added.
Carroll's counsel had not previously commented on the president's decision to bring a challenge to the Supreme Court.
In a lengthy Truth Social post after the ruling, Trump said he would continue to fight against the "Weaponization and Lawfare Case" including "the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength".
"This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be," he continued.
"New York State created a Law, for an instant speck of time, going back many decades, in order to wrongfully "nab" me. It was tailormade, and this Injustice cannot be allowed to stand!"
In the petition to the Supreme Court, Trump's lawyers argued Carroll's lawyer should not have let jurors see the 2005 Access Hollywood tape that showed the president talking about groping and kissing women.
Trump's comments about the jury's findings in the case led a separate jury to order him to pay Carroll $83m for defaming her. A panel of federal judges denied his appeal of that decision in September.
While Trump was found to have defamed and sexually abused Carroll, the jury rejected her claim of rape as defined in New York's penal code.
Carroll, a former magazine columnist who is now 81, sued Trump for attacking her in the mid-1990s in a department store dressing room in Manhattan. The defamation stemmed from Trump's post on his Truth Social platform in 2022 denying her claim.
Trump has said Carroll was "not my type" and that she had lied.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
The US Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's appeal of the E Jean Carroll civil case A New York jury found Trump sexually abused Carroll in the 1990s and awarded her $5m in damages in 2023 A second jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83m for defaming her through his public denials A federal appeals court upheld the initial jury verdict in 2024 Trump's legal team argued evidence including the 2005 Access Hollywood tape was improperly presented to jurors The jury rejected Carroll's rape claim as defined under New York law while finding sexual abuse occurred Trump characterized the case as weaponization and lawfare against him and the presidency Carroll's attorney stated the Supreme Court decision affirms accountability for Trump's actions Trump claimed he was not Carroll's type and that she had lied about the assault
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
- The US Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's appeal of a civil case where a jury found he sexually abused and defamed writer E Jean Carroll in 2023
- Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $5m in damages for the abuse claim and defamation, plus an additional $83m after a separate jury found he defamed her again with his denials
- Trump's legal challenges to both verdicts have been exhausted after federal appeals courts and now the Supreme Court declined to intervene
- Carroll sued over an alleged assault in the 1990s and subsequent public denials by Trump; he has maintained her claims are false
- Trump must now pay the awarded damages after all appeal avenues have closed