Topline
The Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up a court ruling against President Donald Trump that found he had defamed and sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll, a major loss for the president that means the $5 million judgment against him will stand—though he’s still expected to appeal the writer’s other lawsuit against him to the high court.
E. Jean Carroll attends Equality Now’s Make Equality Reality Gala on October 8, 2024 in New York City.
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Key Facts
The Supreme Court issued an order Monday saying it would not take up Trump’s appeal of the ruling in Carroll’s favor, but did not explain its decision at all or give any indication of whether any justices would have taken it up.
A jury ruled in Carroll’s favor in 2023, finding Trump abused Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s and then defamed her when she went public with the allegations, though it declined to find him liable for rape.
That verdict was then upheld by an appeals court, which Trump asked the Supreme Court to reconsider, claiming Carroll’s claims against Trump were “implausible” and “politically motivated.”
The Supreme Court’s decision not to take up the case means Trump will have to pay Carroll the $5 million the jury awarded her in the case, as well as interest that has accrued on the judgment.
The case is separate from Carroll’s other defamation case against Trump, in which she was awarded $83.3 million for Trump defaming her, though the president has suggested he could also ask the high court to take up that case after an appeals court upheld the ruling.
The president’s legal team has not yet responded to a request for comment.
What to Watch for
Trump’s lawyers have said they intend to appeal the $83.3 million Carroll judgement to the Supreme Court, but haven’t yet filed anything, and it’s unclear when they will or if the court could take that case up.
This story is breaking and will be updated.