Trump must pay $5 million after Supreme Court denies his appeal of sexual abuse verdict

The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump’s appeal against a jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving intact a US$5 million judgment against the president. The decision means Trump must pay the damages awarded in Carroll’s 2022 civil lawsuit, which accused him of sexually assaulting her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s and later defaming her by denying the allegation and claiming she fabricated the story. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and any wrongdoing. The jury awarded Carroll US$5 million after finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. A separate lawsuit filed by Carroll in 2019 later resulted in an additional US$83 million defamation judgment against Trump. Including interest, Trump now owes Carroll more than US$100 million across the two cases. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan said the ruling “affirms once and for all” the jury’s unanimous verdict and marks the end of Trump’s efforts to overturn the US$5 million judgment. A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team criticised the decision, calling the cases “witch hunts” and “lawfare,” while insisting the president would continue focusing on his political agenda. Trump had argued that the trial judge made several legal errors, including allowing testimony from two other women who alleged he had sexually assaulted them and permitting jurors to view the 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording. The Supreme Court did not provide a reason for declining to hear the appeal, as is customary. Trump’s legal team is expected to separately ask the Supreme Court to review the larger US$83 million defamation judgment in the coming days. (Newswire)