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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump’s appeal seeking to overturn a civil jury verdict that found he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll and later defamed her, leaving intact a $5 million judgment against the president.
Without comment, the justices denied Trump’s petition for review, allowing a 2024 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to remain in effect. The decision marks another legal setback for Trump, whose attorneys argued that errors made during the trial unfairly influenced the jury’s verdict.
The case stems from a lawsuit Carroll filed in federal court alleging Trump sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in 1996. Trump has consistently denied the allegation.
A federal jury in 2023 concluded that Trump sexually abused Carroll and later defamed her by publicly dismissing her allegations as a “con job” and a “hoax” after leaving office following his first presidency. Jurors awarded Carroll $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
Trump challenged evidence presented at trial
Trump’s appeal centered on several evidentiary rulings made by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the trial in Manhattan.
His attorneys argued Kaplan improperly allowed testimony from two other women — Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff — who accused Trump of separate incidents of sexual misconduct. Trump has denied those allegations as well.
The legal team also objected to jurors viewing the 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording, in which Trump made vulgar remarks about women.
According to Trump’s attorneys, admitting testimony unrelated to Carroll’s allegations, combined with the “Access Hollywood” tape, unfairly prejudiced jurors and compensated for what they characterized as limited direct evidence supporting Carroll’s claims.
Appeals court upheld verdict
Carroll’s attorneys maintained that the disputed evidence was properly admitted because it demonstrated a pattern of conduct relevant to her claims.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed when it upheld the verdict in 2024, concluding that even if some evidence had been challenged, it did not materially affect the outcome of the trial.
By declining to hear the appeal, the Supreme Court leaves that appellate ruling in place and effectively ends Trump’s challenge to the 2023 judgment.
Separate $83.3 million judgment remains under appeal
The Supreme Court’s decision does not affect a separate civil judgment Carroll won against Trump earlier this year.
In that case, a federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million after determining Trump repeatedly defamed her while serving as president by publicly attacking her credibility after she first accused him of sexual assault in 2019.
Trump continues to appeal that judgment, arguing the statements at issue were made while he was president and therefore are protected by presidential immunity.
That appeal remains pending.
Carroll first publicly accused Trump of sexual assault in 2019 before filing suit in 2022 under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, a temporary law that opened a one-year window allowing survivors of older sexual assaults to pursue civil claims that otherwise would have been barred by statutes of limitation.
Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll’s allegations and argued she delayed reporting the alleged incident for political and financial reasons.
Monday’s order concludes the president’s effort to overturn the first jury verdict while leaving unresolved the separate appeal involving the much larger $83.3 million defamation award.
