US Supreme Court rejects Trump’s appeal in E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse and defamation case
Consensus Summary
The US Supreme Court rejected Donald Trump’s appeal of a $5 million verdict against him in the E. Jean Carroll case, affirming a New York jury’s 2023 finding that he sexually abused and defamed the writer in the mid-1990s. Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, testified that Trump assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan, and jurors also awarded her $83.3 million in a separate defamation trial. Trump’s legal team argued the trial was unfair due to evidence rules violations, but the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in 2024. The Supreme Court’s decision, announced on June 29, 2026, with no explanation or dissents, leaves the ruling intact. Trump has denied the allegations, calling the case 'fake,' while Carroll’s attorney celebrated the decision as final confirmation of accountability. The Justice Department is investigating Carroll for potential perjury, and Trump’s lawyers are still appealing the $83.3 million defamation award, which a federal appeals court upheld in September 2025.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The US Supreme Court declined to hear Donald Trump’s appeal of a $5 million verdict against him in the E. Jean Carroll case, leaving the ruling intact.
- A New York jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in the mid-1990s and defaming her.
- The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages in 2023, and a separate jury awarded her $83.3 million in 2024 for defamation.
- Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and called Carroll’s lawsuit a 'fake case' and 'weaponization'.
- The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the $5 million verdict in 2024, rejecting Trump’s arguments about unfair evidence.
- Trump’s lawyers argued that Judge Lewis Kaplan allowed testimony about 'multiple decades-old, unverified and unrelated allegations' of sexual misconduct, violating federal evidence rules.
- Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, stated that the Supreme Court’s decision affirms the jury’s unanimous verdict.
- Trump’s Justice Department is investigating Carroll for potential perjury related to her testimony in the civil lawsuits.
- The Supreme Court decision was made on June 29, 2026, with no explanation or noted dissents.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The Supreme Court also ruled on a Virginia case involving a 'geofence' warrant used to access cellphone location data, siding with the defendant and sending the case back to a lower court for further analysis.
- The Supreme Court upheld Mississippi’s law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by election day to be counted if received within five business days, rejecting a challenge from the Republican National Committee.
- The Supreme Court refused to revive a $300 million defamation lawsuit against CNN by Alan Dershowitz, with Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissenting.
- Trump’s attorney Justin D. Smith, who argued the case, was later nominated by Trump to be an appeals court judge.
- The Supreme Court is due to release more final opinions at 10am ET on June 29, 2026.
- Trump called the case 'against the United States of America, and all it stands for' on social media, saying it 'should never be allowed to happen to another President or Candidate to be!'
- The jury did not find that Trump raped Carroll, as she had claimed, but found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
- Trump’s lawyers accused Carroll of 'waiting more than 20 years to falsely accuse Donald Trump' for political and financial gain.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states the Supreme Court decision was made on June 29, 2026, at 14:25 and 22:25, while ABC does not specify the exact time but confirms the date.
- The Guardian mentions Trump’s lawyers framed the case as a 'distraction from Trump’s unique duties as president,' though the verdict came before his return to the White House, while ABC does not include this detail.
Source Articles
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Court rejects Trump's final bid to overturn E. Jean Carroll verdict
The US Supreme Court declined to hear US President Donald Trump's bid to overturn a $5 million USD verdict in a case in which a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming E Jean Carroll.
US supreme court rejects Trump’s bid to appeal $5m E Jean Carroll verdict
Jury found Trump liable in 2023 for sexually abusing former magazine columnist and defaming her US supreme court decisions – live updates Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter The US supreme court on Monday declined Donald Trump’s request to review a New York jury’s 2023 verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing writer E Jean Carroll, and then defaming her. The justices did not provide an explanation or reasoning, and no public dissents were noted. The decision leaves intact the