Overview
- The Supreme Court declined to review Trump's appeal on Monday, leaving intact a 2023 federal jury verdict that found him civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered $5 million in damages.
- A separate 2024 jury previously awarded E. Jean Carroll about $83 million for defamation, and with interest the two civil judgments together push Trump's total liability in the dispute above $100 million.
- Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly denied Carroll's claims and argued on appeal that the trial judge erred by admitting testimony from two other accusers and a 2005 Access Hollywood recording; lower courts and the Second Circuit rejected those objections.
- Carroll's 2022 suit proceeded because New York's Adult Survivors Act opened a temporary window for decades‑old sexual‑assault claims to be brought civilly, a law that directly enabled this case to reach trial.
- The Supreme Court gave no public explanation for its decision and Trump has signaled he may seek further review of the larger defamation award, while Carroll's lawyers say the denial affirms the unanimous jury finding and carries reputational and financial consequences for the president.