Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn E. Jean Carroll's sex abuse verdict on grounds that the allegations against him are 'politically motivated'

President Donald Trump on Monday asked the Supreme Court to overturn a jury's verdict finding him guilty of sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s, according to the president's personal legal team, according to reports from The Hill.

Carroll took Trump to trial twice and has won a total of $88.3 million in damages, and the petition marks the first time the long-running litigation has reached the justices, the media outlet notes.

In 2023, the first jury found Trump guilty of sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store fitting room in the mid-1990s and defaming her by denying her story when she reported it during Trump's first presidency. At that time, the jury ordered Trump to pay $5 million.

Trump's 33-page petition to the Supreme Court calls Carroll's sexual assault allegations "facially implausible, politically motivated allegations” and urges the justices to intervene to overturn several evidentiary rulings on allegations that they tainted the trial.

“Carroll waited more than 20 years to falsely accuse Donald Trump, who she politically opposes, until after he became the 45th President, when she could maximize political injury to him and profit for herself,” reads the petition, cited by The Hill.

Trump contends the jury improperly viewed the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape and the testimony of other women who accused him of sexual assault, which he denies. "The purpose was solely, and improperly, prejudicial,” the Republican's lawyers wrote about the tape's introduction.

A midlevel appeals court rejected the claims in an 8-2 decision in June. The Supreme Court generally does not accept cases purely for error correction, but Trump's lawyers argue that the evidentiary rulings involve several legal issues that have divided lower courts.

“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,” a spokesperson for Trump's legal team said in a statement.

Additionally, they noted that “President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he continues to focus on his mission to Make America Great Again.” 

However, a judge ruled that the jury's verdict made Trump automatically liable in Carroll's separate lawsuit, which brought additional defamation charges.