Trump Asks Supreme Court to Overturn $83.3 Million Defamation Judgment in E. Jean Carroll Case
President Trump petitioned the Supreme Court on Tuesday to overturn an $83.3 million jury award stemming from a defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. His legal team argued that the 2024 Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity shields him from liability for conduct occurring during his first term in office, marking what his lawyers called the first instance in national history where damages were imposed on a president for official actions.
Legal Arguments and Appeals Court Rejection
Mr. Trump’s filing asserts that the issue of presidential immunity is clear-cut based on the factual record, warning that letting the lower court ruling stand would cause significant harm to future executives and the nation. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit previously rejected these arguments in a unanimous decision, a stance that was left intact when a divided appeals court declined to grant an en banc review in late April.
Prior Litigation and Separate $5 Million Judgment
The latest petition adds to ongoing efforts by Mr. Trump to contest two separate financial judgments tied to Ms. Carroll’s allegations of sexual assault in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Although the Supreme Court rejected a review of a previous $5 million judgment from a 2023 jury finding in late June—prompting a trial court judge to release funds held in escrow to Ms. Carroll—the president is asking the justices to reconsider that decision and hear challenges to both verdicts together.
Supreme Court Timeline and Public Response
With the Supreme Court currently in its summer recess, the justices are not expected to review the petition until their annual long conference in late September. Following prior legal setbacks, Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized the litigation on social media, dismissing the proceedings as a politically motivated weapon and a fake case while vowing to continue fighting the defamation claims.
