The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to reopen consideration of President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a jury’s $5-million finding that he sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll in a Manhattan department store and later defamed her.
High court rebuffs bid to throw out verdict
The court’s action means the lower-court judgment stands for now. Trump’s legal team had asked the justices to reconsider their earlier decision not to hear his appeal of the 2023 verdict. The president subsequently paid the judgment after the court initially declined to take up the case in June.
“The court denied Trump’s petition along with several others.”
The matter concerns allegations that date to the mid-1990s, when Carroll testified at trial that an encounter with Trump in the dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman — a luxury store near Trump Tower in Manhattan — turned from friendly to violent. A jury concluded in 2023 that Trump was liable for sexual assault and for defamation for his later public denials of the allegation.
Separate appeal over larger award remains pending
Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice have also asked the Supreme Court to set aside a separate judgment in Carroll’s favour that totals $83 million. That appeal raises questions of presidential immunity for comments Trump made about Carroll in 2019 while serving as president. The high court has not yet acted on that request.
Carroll is a long‑time advice columnist and former television host who publicly identified herself as the woman who accused Trump. The Associated Press and other outlets have noted the practice of identifying individuals who come forward publicly with allegations of sexual assault.
- $5 million — jury finding for Carroll that was not reopened by the Supreme Court on Monday.
- $83 million — separate judgment that remains the subject of a pending Supreme Court appeal over presidential immunity.
| Verdict | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Carroll verdict (sexual assault and defamation) | $5 million | Supreme Court refused reconsideration; judgment paid |
| Separate defamation award | $83 million | Appeal pending at the Supreme Court on immunity question |
Context and implications
The court’s refusal to revisit the $5-million finding leaves in place a jury’s assessment of liability and compensatory damages, while the larger and more legally complex question about immunity — and the much larger sum attached to it — is still before the justices. That appeal asks the court to consider whether a president is immune from civil suits for statements made while in office, a constitutional issue that could have broad implications for accountability of presidents in future.
For now, the immediate legal consequence is straightforward: the smaller verdict remains settled. The unresolved immunity appeal could reach the high court’s docket later, and its outcome may affect not only this case but also the legal exposure of a president for official statements.
The cases have played out against a backdrop of intense public interest. Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing. Carroll has publicly described the alleged assault and pursued civil remedies that produced the jury findings now partly upheld by the justices’ action on Monday.
As the immunity question proceeds, observers will be watching the Supreme Court for whether it takes up the larger appeal and, if so, how it frames the constitutional issues at stake. Any ruling could reshape legal protections for sitting presidents and how civil claims connected to the presidency are handled in federal courts.
The decisions and arguments in these cases come from U.S. courts and have sparked comment within American political and legal circles; they also carry interest internationally given the prominence of the individual involved and the constitutional principles under review.
