The Supreme Court declined without elaboration to take up Trump’s appeal, according to an order issued Monday. The decision leaves intact a 2023 federal jury verdict in Manhattan that found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll, a former Elle magazine advice columnist, and for defaming her after she went public with her allegations. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
In his appeal, Trump argued that the trial was unfair because the judge allowed jurors to hear evidence of his alleged past sexual misconduct. Trump has maintained that Carroll is making up the story and asserted that the trial was tainted by what he called highly prejudicial evidence.
The case stems from Carroll’s accusation that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. Trump has denied wrongdoing. The $5 million jury award remains in place following the high court’s action, which was taken without any noted dissents.
A separate case against Trump involves a $83 million defamation verdict from a 2024 trial. A federal appeals court earlier this year rejected a request for an en banc rehearing of that award, and Trump’s legal team has indicated it will seek Supreme Court review.