US Supreme Court finalizes $5M verdict against Trump in Carroll case

The United States Supreme Court on Monday, August 17, 2026, denied for a second time President Donald Trump's request to overturn a jury judgment that he sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll. The decision, issued without comment, finalizes a $5 million verdict from a 2023 civil trial and ends Trump's legal avenues to challenge it in the nation's highest court.

The case stems from Carroll's 2019 public allegation that Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996. Trump denied the claim, calling her a "nut job." This led to two separate defamation lawsuits. The verdict in question originated from a 2022 lawsuit filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, where a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation related to statements he made in 2022 dismissing Carroll's claim. The jury awarded Carroll approximately $5 million in damages.

Trump appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which initially declined to hear the case in June 2026. Following that denial, Carroll collected the judgment plus interest, receiving a total of about $5.8 million. Trump then filed a petition for a rehearing, which the court rejected on its August 17...