The US Supreme Court has declined to hear Donald Trump's appeal of a $5M verdict against E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of sexually abusing and defaming her in 1996. This is the second time the court has rejected Trump's effort to overturn the verdict, which was handed down by a jury in 2023. The justices' decision means that Carroll can keep the original $5M award plus interest, totaling nearly $5.63 million. Trump's lawyers had argued that the trial was unfair and that presidential immunity shields him from liability.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump's appeal of a $5-million verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine columnist who accused him of sexually abusing and defaming her. This is the second time the Supreme Court has declined to hear Trump's appeal, with the latest rejection coming on Monday without explanation. The case stems from allegations that Trump raped Carroll in a Manhattan department store's dressing room in the 1990s. In addition to the $5-million verdict, Trump is also appealing a separate $83.3-million jury verdict for defaming Carroll in 2019. The Supreme Court has not given any reason for its decision not to hear Trump's challenge, but it is unusual for the court to grant requests for reconsideration, which were made by Trump's lawyers.
Written for “Trump Sex Assault Judgement Rejected” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.85 for article 1114 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-24
U.S. Supreme Court again rejects Trump's effort to overturn E. Jean Carroll verdict
Top court declines to hear Trump's appeal of $5M US verdict in favour of ex-magazine columnist
Rebuffing U.S. President Donald Trump for a second time, the United States Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear his appeal of a $5-million US verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming the former magazine columnist.
asserted
him → reject → columnist
The justices rejected Trump's request to reconsider their previous decision in June denying his appeal of the 2023 jury verdict stemming from allegations that he raped her in the 1990s in a Manhattan department store's dressing room.
asserted
he → reject → room
Trump's lawyers contend that the trial was unfair.
asserted
trial → contend → ?
The court's order was unsigned and came with no explanation.
asserted
order → come → explanation
The Supreme Court rarely grants requests for reconsideration.
asserted
Court → grant → reconsideration
The justices also are weighing the Republican president's appeal of a separate $83.3-million US jury verdict for defaming Carroll in 2019 during his first term as president, when he denied the claims and asserted that she lied about the accusations.
uncertain
she → weigh → accusations
Trump's lawyers in that appeal argue that presidential immunity shields him from Carroll's claims and that lower courts wrongly decided that he had forfeited that defence.
uncertain
he → argue → defence
Trump has been battling Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, ever since she published an excerpt from her memoir in 2019 in which she alleged that Trump had raped her around 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan.
asserted
Trump → battle → Manhattan
Trump denied Carroll's claims and asserted that she lied both in 2019 and again in 2022, while he was out of office.
uncertain
he → deny → office
The case that led to the $5-million US verdict concerned Trump's statements in 2022 when he called Carroll's claim a "hoax" and a "con job" in a post on social media.
uncertain
he → lead → media
Jurors in that case decided in 2023 that Trump had sexually abused Carroll and defamed her, but did not find that Trump raped Carroll, as she had claimed.
asserted
she → decide → Carroll
U.S. judge clears E. Jean Carroll to collect $5.8M from Trump sex abuse, defamation case
U.S. Supreme Court declines Trump's appeal in E. Jean Carroll case
asserted
Court → clear → case
Following the Supreme Court's denial in June of Trump's appeal in the case, Carroll collected nearly $5.63 million US from Trump.
asserted
Carroll → follow → Trump
The payout represented the original $5-million US civil verdict, plus interest.
asserted
payout → represent → verdict
In Trump's request for rehearing, his lawyers said that the issue of presidential immunity in the case that led to the $83.3-million US verdict that a jury reached in 2024 — which the justices still could decide to take up — could impact the 2023 verdict, as well.
uncertain
justices → say → verdict
The Supreme Court in a landmark 2024 decision ruled that former presidents have full immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken in office that were within their core constitutional powers as president.
asserted
that → rule → president
