The Supreme Court has decided not to intervene in a case involving former President Donald Trump and writer E. Jean Carroll, upholding a jury's verdict that found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
On Monday, the Court issued a brief order, declining to take up Trump's appeal regarding the $5 million verdict awarded to Carroll. Trump's legal team had argued that the jury's findings were influenced by unfair evidentiary rulings, particularly the inclusion of testimonies from two other women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct.
In their defense, Trump's attorneys contended that the judge had violated federal evidence rules and claimed that the case detracted from Trump's responsibilities as president, despite the verdict being delivered prior to his return to office.
Attorney Justin D. Smith, representing Trump, described the situation as a “mistreatment of a President” and emphasized that it should not be allowed to stand. Smith has since been nominated by Trump for a position as an appeals court judge.
Carroll's legal representatives argued that the testimonies of the other women were pertinent, given the similarities in their allegations against Trump. They asserted that Judge Lewis Kaplan's rulings aligned with legal precedents across the country and urged the Supreme Court to reject Trump's appeal.
In a trial held in 2023, Carroll testified that Trump assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. The jury found Trump liable not only for the sexual abuse but also for defaming Carroll when he publicly denied her allegations in 2022.
Additionally, Carroll was awarded $83.3 million in a subsequent defamation trial, which Trump is currently appealing, although that case has not yet reached the Supreme Court.
Trump has previously managed to overturn other significant legal judgments, including a civil fraud penalty exceeding $500 million. He was also granted broad immunity from criminal prosecution in 2024 but faced a setback when the Supreme Court rejected his attempt to halt sentencing in a separate hush-money case.
Reported by HarborBeat based on WMAR-2 News (source).
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