President Donald Trump has taken his legal battle to the highest court in the land, seeking to overturn a jury's decision in a civil lawsuit that found him guilty of sexually abusing and subsequently defaming E.
Jean Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine.
The case, which has been a point of contention for several years, centers around allegations that Trump vehemently denies.
In a recent filing, Trump's legal team contended that the $5 million verdict was the result of "indefensible evidentiary rulings" that allowed Carroll's attorneys to introduce "highly inflammatory propensity evidence."
As reported by Fox News, Trump's lawyers maintain that the allegations are baseless, with Justin Smith, one of Trump's attorneys, asserting, "President Trump has clearly and consistently denied that this supposed incident ever occurred." Smith further emphasized the lack of physical or DNA evidence, eyewitnesses, video footage, or any police report to substantiate Carroll's claims.
The origins of the lawsuit trace back to 2019, when Carroll published a book alleging that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in New York City during the 1990s. Trump has consistently refuted these accusations, claiming he never met Carroll and dismissing her assertions as a ploy to boost book sales. His repeated denials and criticisms led to Carroll's defamation lawsuit against him.
Trump's legal representatives have accused Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of distorting federal evidence rules to support Carroll's "implausible, unsubstantiated assertions." They argue that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to uphold the verdict contradicts the application of these rules by other federal appeals courts.
Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, expressed skepticism about Trump's chances at the Supreme Court, stating, "We do not believe that President Trump will be able to present any legal issues in the Carroll cases that merit review by the United States Supreme Court," according to The Associated Press.
A spokesperson for Trump's legal team characterized the Supreme Court appeal as part of the president's broader fight against "Liberal Lawfare," asserting, "The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes."
In December 2024, a three-judge appellate panel upheld the initial verdict, dismissing Trump's claims that Judge Kaplan's rulings compromised the trial's integrity. Following a denial from the 2nd Circuit judges to have the full appellate court review the case, Trump was left with two choices: accept the outcome and allow Carroll to collect the judgment, which he had already placed in escrow, or continue the legal battle at the Supreme Court.
Although Trump did not attend the 2023 trial, he provided brief testimony at a subsequent defamation trial, which concluded with a jury ordering him to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million. The 2nd Circuit upheld this verdict on September 8, with a three-judge panel describing the jury's damages awards as "fair and reasonable." Trump has since requested the full appellate court to reconsider the ruling.
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