UPDATED: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up Donald Trump‘s appeal of a $5 million jury judgment against him in writer E. Jean Carroll’s claim that he sexually abused and defamed her.
The case was one of two brought by Carroll. Another jury verdict, still under appeal, awarded her around $83 million in damages for defamation. Carroll’s claims stem from a 1990s incident at New York department store Bergdorf Goodman.
The jury in the 2023 trial found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $2 million for battery and $3 million for defamation. Trump denied even knowing Carroll and called her claims a “complete con job.”
During the trial, jurors were shown the infamous Access Hollywood tape, as well as a video deposition where Trump confused a picture of Carroll as that of his second wife Marla Maples. Two other women also took the stand with sexual misconduct claims.
Trump responded to the ruling, writing on Truth Social, “Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to ‘review’ a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met (Decades old celebrity photo line, standing with her husband, does not count!). I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength. This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be! New York State created a Law, for an instant speck of time, going back many decades, in order to wrongfully ‘nab’ me. It was tailormade, and this Injustice cannot be allowed to stand! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Roberta Kaplan said in a statement to media outlets, “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. His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today’s ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions.”
Carroll posted a short message on Substack, writing, “This win is for every woman in the world!”
