The US Supreme Court declined on June 29, 2026, to hear former President Donald Trump’s appeal against a $5 million jury verdict awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The jury had found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996 in a Manhattan department store dressing room and defaming her in 2022 statements denying the allegations [1, 6, 3, 4, 5]. The $5 million damages include $2 million for sexual assault and $3 million for defamatory remarks [1, 4].
Trump had challenged the verdict, arguing the trial was unfair and key evidence inadmissible. He contended the judge erred by allowing testimony from other women accusing him of sexual abuse and including the 2005 Access Hollywood tape [1, 5]. Carroll’s legal team said that testimony and evidence were relevant given their similar nature and consistent rulings by the judge [1, 5].
In 2024, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict along with a separate $83.3 million defamation judgment for Carroll, rejecting Trump’s claims [1, 3, 4, 5]. Trump has denied the allegations, calling the case a "hoax" and politically motivated, and promised to keep fighting the verdict and related suits [1, 3, 4, 5].
Since the Supreme Court ruling, Carroll’s lawyers filed a motion July 1 seeking immediate release of nearly $5.8 million owed under the verdict, opposing Trump’s attempts to delay payment by seeking Supreme Court review [6]. A Manhattan federal judge has ordered Trump’s lawyers to respond to this motion by July 7 [6]. Trump had deposited funds securing the verdict pending appeal [6].
Carroll also won an $83.3 million defamation judgment in 2024, which Trump plans to appeal to the Supreme Court [1, 3, 5].
In a statement, Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan said, "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... It is time for him to pay Carroll" [5, 6]. Trump's team called the case a "weaponization and lawfare case" and vowed to continue fighting [6, 5].
Separately, the US Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation in late May 2026 examining possible perjury by Carroll regarding her claims of no outside funding for the lawsuits [4].
