The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up former President Donald Trump's appeal in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, effectively upholding the $5 million judgment against him. The decision, issued without comment as is typical for such denials, hands Trump another legal defeat and leaves the verdict from a 2023 jury trial intact.
Trump reacted swiftly on Truth Social, blasting the court's refusal and repeating his claim that he never met Carroll. "Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to 'review' a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met," he wrote. He went on to describe the case as "Weaponization and Lawfare" and vowed to continue fighting "with all of my power and strength."
The case stems from Carroll's accusation that Trump sexually abused her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. A jury found Trump liable for both sexual abuse and defamation after he denied the encounter and called her allegations a hoax. The $5 million award covered damages for the abuse and the defamation that followed.
This Supreme Court action only addresses the initial $5 million verdict. Trump is expected to ask the justices to review a separate $83 million defamation judgment from a later trial, which stemmed from his continued denials while in office. In that appeal, his legal team argues that presidential immunity should shield him from liability for statements made while serving as president.
The case has dragged on for years, with Carroll fighting to defend her credibility through multiple court battles. A federal appeals court previously found no grounds to overturn the jury's decision, and now the nation's highest court has declined to step in. The sexual abuse claim was always a civil matter, not a criminal one, meaning the jury's role was to weigh evidence and determine liability, which they did in Carroll's favor.
Legal analysts note that the denial does not necessarily signal the end of the saga. The Justice Department has reportedly been examining statements Carroll made during the litigation about outside funding for her legal fees, though no criminal charges have been filed. That inquiry, while separate, adds another layer to a case that refuses to fade from the headlines.
For Carroll, the ruling is a bittersweet moment. She has spent years in court and in the public eye defending her account, and while multiple courts have now upheld her victory, the relentless legal pushback from Trump means she is still being drawn into what she describes as a painful chapter. "It's time to stop revictimizing her," wrote Lindsey Granger, a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill's commentary show "Rising," in a column on the case.
The decision comes as the Supreme Court is also weighing other politically charged cases, including challenges to state bans on transgender athletes in school sports and a major Second Amendment test on AR-15 restrictions. Trump's legal team is expected to continue pressing the presidential immunity argument in the larger defamation case, which could set a precedent for how far that protection extends.
