The US Supreme Court refused to hear former President Donald Trump's appeal in the case of writer E. Jean Carroll. This decision means that the verdict of the federal jury, delivered in 2023, has finally taken effect.
The judges rejected Trump's petition without any explanation. Thus, the politician's civil liability for sexual assault and defamation is confirmed, for which he was previously ordered to pay Carroll $5 million.
Essence of the charges and reaction of the parties
The lawsuit concerned events in the mid-1990s. Carroll claimed that Trump sexually assaulted her in a fitting room at Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York. The former president categorically denied the allegations, calling the case politically motivated.
After the Supreme Court's ruling was announced, Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, stated that this step finally confirms the jury's verdict and ends Trump's attempts to evade responsibility. The politician himself criticized the court's decision and promised to continue the legal battle.
Other financial obligations
In addition to the confirmed verdict of $5 million, there is another court ruling against Trump. In 2024, another jury awarded the writer $83.3 million in compensation for defamation related to the politician's statements in 2019. This issue remains a subject of legal proceedings.
Previously, the US Court of Appeals allowed Trump to temporarily withhold payment of this $83 million sum, although the fact of the existence of the debt was not overturned.