President Trump said Monday that the Supreme Court's decision to reject his appeal of a $5 million civil verdict was unexpected. The Court declined to review a jury's finding that Trump sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump has consistently denied the allegations, calling them a "Fake Case" and politically motivated.
The ruling closes one of Trump's longest-running legal battles, which began after Carroll's 2019 lawsuit. He had sought to overturn the verdict through multiple appeals, all of which failed. The case now stands as a final judgment against him.
Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said the decision "affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict." She noted that Trump's "multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed." The $5 million judgment includes damages for both sexual abuse and defamation claims.
Trump characterized the outcome as an attack on the presidency itself, posting that the case "should never be allowed to happen to another President." Legal experts note that the Supreme Court typically grants review in only a small fraction of cases, making denial more procedural than substantive.
The decision represents a definitive legal setback for Trump as he continues to navigate numerous other civil and criminal proceedings. The Carroll case, however, may serve as a precedent for how courts handle defamation claims against public figures.