Trump Seeks Supreme Court Review of E. Jean Carroll Verdict

President Donald Trump has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a $5 million verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. This follows unsuccessful attempts over two years to secure a retrial in the federal case.

In May 2023, a New York civil jury concluded that Trump sexually abused Carroll during a mid-1990s encounter in a Manhattan department store and subsequently defamed her. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. Trump has consistently denied the allegations, describing them as "facially implausible, politically motivated allegations."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied Trump's appeal in December 2024 and rejected a request for an en banc review in June 2025. Trump's legal team argues that the trial judge, Lewis Kaplan, made several evidentiary errors that adversely affected the jury's perception. They contend that Kaplan's rulings allowed the introduction of "highly inflammatory propensity evidence" against Trump.

A spokesperson for Trump's legal team stated, "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's legal team has not immediately responded to requests for comment. They have previously stated that the funding received from a nonprofit tied to a Democratic megadonor is irrelevant to her sexual abuse and defamation claims.

Trump has denied Carroll's allegations since they first surfaced in 2019, when she went public with her story in a book excerpt published in New York Magazine.