SCOTUS rejects Trump's appeal, upholds $5 million verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) rejected on Monday the appeal filed by President Donald Trump in the case of E. Jean Carroll, upholding the 2023 civil verdict in which a New York jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay $5 million.

Despite the court’s decision—which did not address the merits of the case—President Trump maintains his innocence and has characterized the entire process as part of a political witch hunt against him.

No explanation: SCOTUS denies Trump’s appeal

The nine justices of the Supreme Court refused to hear the case without explanation, a common practice in such denials. Furthermore, no justice issued a public dissent.

According to a report by NBC News, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team reacted harshly to the decision: "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."

Carroll first went public with her allegations in 2019 in a magazine and filed the lawsuit in 2022, relying in part on a New York state law that temporarily extended the statute of limitations for reporting past sexual assaults.

Trump denies allegations, is appealing for presidential immunity

President Trump has always categorically denied the allegations. His lawyers argued that Carroll never reported the alleged incident to the police, that there were no witnesses and that she waited until he became president to file the lawsuit for political and financial gain.

Carroll filed a second defamation lawsuit against the president, which is not part of the SCOTUS decision and which resulted in a verdict of $83.3 million in her favor.

This other case, related to comments made by Trump during his first presidential term, remains under appeal. The president argues that the allegations should be dismissed under the principle of presidential immunity.