Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll $5 million after Supreme Court denies his appeal of sexual abuse verdict
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from President Donald Trump over a $5 million verdict and finding that he sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll, a decision that means the president will now have to pay the magazine columnist.
Carroll sued Trump in 2019 for defamation and again in 2022 for defamation and battery after New York enacted a law allowing victims of sexual abuse to file civil claims for past incidents. In an unusual turn, the 2022 case went to trial first, with a jury awarding Carroll $5 million.
The 2019 case was tried later and resulted in an $83 million judgment against Trump. Including interest, Trump owes Carroll more than $100 million.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury’s unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll,” Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said. “His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today’s ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions.”
Carroll’s 2022 lawsuit alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her by claiming she fabricated the story to boost book sales. Trump, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, argued that US District Judge Lewis Kaplan made errors by allowing jurors to hear testimony from two women who also accused him of sexual assault years earlier.
Trump also argued that jurors should not have been allowed to view the “Access Hollywood” tape, which captured him in 2005 making explicit comments about groping and kissing women.
A spokesman for the president’s legal team said in a statement Monday that the “American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes.”
“President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he continues to focus on his mission to Make America Great Again,” the statement added.
Last year, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the jury’s $5 million verdict, ruling that the trial judge did not commit errors warranting a new trial. In June 2025, Trump failed in his bid to have the full appeals court review the decision before taking the case to the Supreme Court.
In a January filing, Trump’s attorneys argued that it was damaging for a sitting president to continue defending himself against decades-old allegations, saying the case distracted him from his duties as chief executive.
The appeal remained pending at the Supreme Court for months, with the justices repeatedly rescheduling discussions before ultimately declining to hear it. As is customary, the court did not explain its decision.
In a technical brief filed at the Supreme Court, Carroll’s lawyers relied heavily on the appeals court ruling, which stated that the central question was whether a jury could reasonably conclude, based on the evidence, that Trump committed sexual assault.
Trump transferred $5.5 million into a court-controlled account in 2023 following the jury verdict, meaning Carroll is expected to receive the money relatively quickly. Carroll’s lawyer could not immediately be reached for additional comment.
