Supreme Court again rejects Trump's bid to overturn E Jean Carroll sex abuse case

The US Supreme Court has, for the second time, dismissed Donald Trump's appeal to overturn a federal civil jury's finding that he sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the E. Jean Carroll case.

The highest court had previously rejected a similar attempt by Trump to review the civil case in June. The former president has repeatedly asserted his innocence, contending that the presiding judge improperly allowed evidence that prejudiced the jury against him.

In July, Trump paid Carroll over $5 million in damages following her civil claim that he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s and subsequently dismissed the incident as a hoax on social media.

"We are pleased that the United States Supreme Court has declined again to hear this case," stated Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney, after the ruling. "As a result, the jury's unanimous verdict that Donald Trump sexually assaulted and then defamed E. Jean Carroll is now final and cannot be challenged in any court."

The court's decision was included in an order list on Monday, without providing an explanation for the justices' refusal to rehear the case. Legal experts noted that Trump's request to reconsider the June rejection was an unusual long-shot maneuver, as such requests are rarely granted by the court.

Carroll, an 82-year-old former magazine columnist, sued Trump for an assault in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. The defamation claim arose from a 2022 Truth Social post where he denied the allegations, stating Carroll was "not my type."

Trump has not yet commented on the court's latest decision. Following the earlier June decision, Trump posted a lengthy message on Truth Social, vowing to continue fighting what he called the "weaponisation and lawfare case" and the "ridiculous" defamation claim. He added, "This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be."

In their initial petition to the Supreme Court, Trump's lawyers argued that Carroll's legal team should not have shown jurors the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood footage, in which he used crude language discussing groping and kissing women.

Trump has also asked the Supreme Court to overturn a separate federal civil defamation verdict that awarded Carroll $83.3 million. His lawyers argue that Trump cannot be sued for comments made while he was president. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on that case.