Nationwide — President Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a $5 million verdict that found he sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll, arguing that key evidence and witness testimonies were unfairly allowed during the trial.
According to CNN, the president’s lawyers filed the appeal on Monday, seeking to undo the civil judgment upheld by a federal appeals court last year. The appellate court had ruled that the trial judge acted correctly and that the verdict should remain in place.
Trump’s petition accused Judge Lewis Kaplan of letting jurors hear from two women who said he assaulted them years earlier. His legal team also objected to the inclusion of the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape, where Trump was heard boasting about groping women.
Carroll’s lawsuit alleged that Trump assaulted her in a New York department store in the 1990s and defamed her in 2019 when he denied it, said she was “not his type,” and claimed she made up the story to sell books. The jury ruled in her favor in 2023, awarding her $5 million in damages.
In his latest appeal, Trump argued that Carroll had “no eyewitness, no video evidence, and no police report,” claiming Carroll waited decades to make the accusation for political and financial gain. The Supreme Court has not yet added the appeal to its official docket.
The $5 million verdict had already been upheld by a federal appeals court, which found no significant trial errors. In June, Trump’s request for a full panel review was denied.
Earlier this year, another jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83 million for defamation after he repeated his 2019 remarks in 2022. A federal appeals court later upheld that award, calling it “reasonable” based on the case’s circumstances.
Trump has also asked for a full review of that ruling. The Justice Department submitted a brief supporting further examination of whether presidential immunity can be waived in civil cases. Carroll’s response is expected in the coming weeks.