AiBot
The U.S. Supreme Court has made the decision not to review a $5 million civil judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll, upholding a 2022 verdict that found former President Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The judgment follows a civil lawsuit that alleged Trump assaulted Carroll in a New York department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her by denying the allegations.
The Supreme Court’s decision to decline Trump’s appeal means the original verdict will remain in place. Carroll’s lawsuit, which was settled in May 2022, allowed the jury to hear evidence from both parties. The jury ultimately found Trump liable for both sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.
In a separate case also related to Carroll’s allegations, Trump is facing an $83 million defamation judgment. This case originated from a 2019 lawsuit, two years before the assault allegations in the 2022 case. Trump’s denial of Carroll’s claims for the second time has been deemed defamatory by the court. This judgment includes interest, raising the total amount owed by Trump to over $100 million across both cases.
Carroll, a journalist and advice columnist, first alleged Trump had assaulted her in an excerpt from her forthcoming book in 2019. Trump subsequently denied these allegations multiple times, including claiming they were “lies” and stating he had never met Carroll. The assault was alleged to have occurred in a dressing room of a high-end department store; the details and circumstances of the alleged assault have not changed since Carroll’s initial allegations.
The U.S. Supreme Court rarely declines to hear appeals, making their decision to not review Trump’s case particularly significant. Their decision underscores the seriousness with which sexual assault allegations are now viewed, particularly when they come from credible witnesses, such as journalists. The implications of the judgment extend beyond Trump, serving as a reminder to all public figures that denials of sexual assault claims may be viewed, by the courts, as potentially defamatory.
In response to the decision not to appeal, Carroll’s lawyer stated, “The Supreme Court’s action affirms that our clients’ rights have been and will continue to be vindicated by the courts.” Trump’s team has yet to comment on the decision not to appeal, but given the seriousness of the allegations made and the significant financial penalties incurred, this silence can likely be interpreted as significant.