Supreme Court rejects Trump's push to toss $5 million verdict in E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse case

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn a $5 million verdict in E. Jean Carroll’s sexual abuse and defamation case. In a brief, unexplained order on Monday, the justices declined to take up the matter, with no noted dissents. Trump’s lawyers argued the $5 million finding was supported by “highly inflammatory” evidentiary rulings, including testimony from two other women who accused him of sexual abuse decades ago, allegations Trump denies. They also said the federal evidence rules were violated and framed the dispute as a distraction from presidential duties, even though the verdict came before Trump’s return to the White House. Carroll testified in 2023 about an attack in 1996 at Bergdorf Goodman; the jury also found Trump defamed her in 2022, and a separate trial awarded an additional $83.3 million. The decision arrives as the Court issues major rulings tied to Trump’s agenda.