Supreme Court Rejects Trump Appeal in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

The United States Supreme Court declined on June 29, 2026, to hear a final appeal from Donald Trump regarding a 2023 civil court judgment. This refusal to intervene mandates that the former president must now pay the $5 million in damages previously awarded to the plaintiff, E. Jean Carroll, plus accrued interest. The decision officially concludes the appellate process for this specific litigation, which centered on a jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll in a Manhattan department store during the mid-1990s.

The dispute originated from allegations Carroll detailed in her 2019 memoir, claiming Trump assaulted her in a department store dressing room. Following her public accusations, Trump repeatedly denied the incident, prompting defamation litigation. In May 2023, a federal jury found him liable for both sexual abuse and defamation. Although Trump's defense team argued that evidentiary rulings during the trial were flawed, the Supreme Court provided no formal explanation for its decision to bypass the appeal, a common procedural outcome for the high court.

While this ruling closes the chapter on the $5 million liability, it remains distinct from a separate $83.3 million judgment against Trump from early 2024. His legal team has already signaled intentions to contest that larger penalty, ensuring his broader legal battles will continue to influence public discourse. For observers, this outcome represents a definitive resolution to a case that has dominated headlines for years, yet the persistence of other high-profile legal challenges ensures that the former president's judicial troubles remain a central theme of ongoing political campaigns.