The nation’s highest court issued a brief order on Monday that effectively ends former President Donald Trump’s latest bid to overturn a civil judgment against him. The Court declined to grant a rehearing on Trump’s petition to vacate the $5.6 million payment ordered after a jury concluded he sexually assaulted and defamed former magazine writer E. Jean Carroll.
Background of the case
Carroll first sued Trump in 2019 for defamation, alleging he repeatedly called her accusations of sexual assault a fabrication to boost book sales. In 2022 she filed a second suit after New York enacted a law allowing victims of sexual abuse to pursue civil claims for historic incidents. That case proceeded to trial first, and a jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. The earlier 2019 case later resulted in an $83 million judgment, which remains pending before the Supreme Court.
Under the lower‑court order, Trump had already paid the $5.6 million award. Carroll’s attorneys said they would place the funds in an interest‑bearing account until the petition for rehearing was denied.
Supreme Court’s action
Earlier in June, the Court had denied Trump’s initial appeal. His lawyers subsequently asked the justices to reconsider that denial, a request the Court now refused. No dissenting opinions were recorded.
The high court rarely grants rehearings, and the brief order offered no explanation for its decision.
Trump’s response
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team issued a statement claiming the American people stand with the former president and demanding an end to what they described as “witch hunts” and “Democrat‑funded travesty.” The statement asserted that Trump would continue to “win against liberal lawfare” while pursuing his “Make America Great Again” agenda.
Legal context
The 2022 lawsuit alleged that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll in a New York department store in the mid‑1990s and later defamed her by suggesting she fabricated the story. Trump has consistently denied the allegations and argued that the trial judge erred by allowing testimony from two other women who claimed similar assaults and by permitting jurors to hear the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape in which he made vulgar remarks about women.
In 2024, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the jury’s $5 million verdict, finding no reversible error in the trial judge’s rulings. Trump’s attempt to have the full 2nd Circuit review the case was rejected in June 2025, prompting the subsequent petition to the Supreme Court.
What’s next?
With the Supreme Court’s refusal to rehear the matter, the $5.6 million judgment stands as the final resolution for this particular case. The separate $83 million judgment from the earlier lawsuit remains pending before the Court, leaving that larger dispute unresolved.
The decision underscores the challenges former President Trump faces in his ongoing series of legal battles, many of which continue to attract national attention and partisan commentary.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
