In brief
The U.S. Supreme Court again declined to hear former President Donald Trump’s request to review the civil case in which a jury ruled that he sexually assaulted and defamed author E. Jean Carroll. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and challenged the evidence presented in the trial, arguing procedural flaws. After paying over $5 million in damages to Carroll, the Court’s order leaves the verdict final and unchallenged. Legal experts note the rarity of the petition, as the Court rarely entertains such late appeals. Carroll’s lawyer hailed the decision as confirmation of the jury’s unanimous verdict.
The U.S. Supreme Court has once again refused to hear former president Donald Trump’s appeal to overturn the civil judgment that found him liable for sexually assaulting and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, arguing that judge Antonin Scalia’s courtroom improperly admitted evidence that could have biased the jury. The Justice’s order was published immediately after the decision, but it offers no explanation for the refusal to rehear the case.
Carroll, the 82‑year‑old former magazine columnist, sued Trump in 2022 after he denied sexual assault charges and posted on social media that she was “not my type.” Trump later paid the victim more than $5 million in damages for the alleged assault and defamation claim.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, praised the Supreme Court’s decision, adding that “the jury’s unanimous verdict is now final and cannot be challenged in any court.”
In an earlier petition filed in June, Trump’s lawyers claimed that the access-to-history footage from the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape—where he discussed groping and kissing women—should not have been presented to jurors. That claim was denied by a federal appeals panel in September.
The Supreme Court’s latest refusal comes at a time when Trump continues to describe the case as a “weaponisation and lawfare” effort, insisting that it threatens other American leaders. No comment has yet been made by the former president in response to the Court’s decision.
