President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a $5 million civil judgment that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
The petition seeks to undo a 2023 federal jury verdict that concluded Trump sexually abused Carroll during a mid-1990s encounter in a Manhattan department store and later defamed her by dismissing her allegations as a “hoax” and a “con job.” Trump’s lawyers argue the trial was fundamentally flawed, claiming U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan made several evidentiary errors that unfairly influenced the jury.
Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll’s claims, which first became public in 2019 when she published excerpts of her book in New York Magazine. The jury found that while Trump did not commit rape under New York law, the evidence showed he sexually abused Carroll.
Trump’s legal team wrote in the filing that “there were no eyewitnesses, no video evidence, and no police report or investigation,” calling Carroll’s allegations “facially implausible, politically motivated.” They further contend that “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.”
Trump has long vowed to fight the case “all the way” to the nation’s highest court after multiple defeats in lower courts. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in December 2024, ruling that Kaplan had not “abused his discretion” in allowing testimony from two other women — Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff — who accused Trump of sexual misconduct. The court also denied Trump’s request for a full en banc rehearing in June.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said, “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. President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he continues to focus on his mission to Make America Great Again.”
Carroll’s attorney has not commented on the Supreme Court filing. Her legal team has previously noted that while a nonprofit linked to a Democratic donor helped fund parts of her case, Carroll herself played no role in securing those funds, and the support came nearly a year after she filed her initial lawsuit.
The Supreme Court has not yet indicated whether it will hear the case. Trump is also appealing a separate $83 million defamation verdict awarded to Carroll in January 2024 for additional statements he made about her after the first trial. Combined, the two jury awards total more than $88 million.
Editorial credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com