The U. S.
Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear President Donald Trump's appeal of a $5 million civil verdict in favor of writer E.
Jean Carroll.
The decision leaves the 2023 jury finding that Trump sexually abused and defamed Carroll intact.
Trump had already deposited $5.5 million into a court-controlled account, meaning Carroll is likely to receive the payment soon.
No justice issued a written dissent or explanation for the denial, which followed a private conference on June 25.
Background of the Case
Carroll sued Trump in federal court in Manhattan, alleging he assaulted her in a department store dressing room in 1996 and defamed her by calling her claims a hoax.
Trump appealed, arguing that U. S.
District Judge Lewis Kaplan erred by allowing testimony from two other women who alleged prior misconduct and by showing jurors the 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape.
In the tape, Trump made lewd comments about women.
Trump's attorneys argued in January that continuing the case during his presidency was deeply damaging to the republic.
They said the trial judge's evidentiary rulings improperly compensated for a lack of direct evidence.
Following the Supreme Court's denial, a Trump legal spokesman called the proceedings a "Democrat-funded travesty" and a "Witch Hunt."
Carroll's legal team successfully opposed Supreme Court review, noting that the 2nd U. S.
Circuit Court of Appeals had unanimously affirmed the verdict.
The appeals court ruled that a jury could reasonably find Trump committed sexual assault and that the evidence was admissible.
Trump faces a separate appeal of an $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to Carroll, which his team plans to petition the Supreme Court to review next month.
