Carroll has said he will spend the money on “things that Trump doesn’t like” and argues that he would suffer irreparable harm if forced to pay before the lawsuit is over.
SCOTUS won’t accept President Trump’s $5 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll case
The Supreme Court has refused to consider a $5 million judgment from a 2023 jury verdict that held President Trump responsible for the sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll.
President Donald Trump has argued that a federal judge should not order New York columnist E. Jean Carroll to pay $5.8 million. Because she will be spending the money on something he “hates” and he won’t be able to get it back if he wins on appeal.
Trump claims there is still an appeal pending that could protect him from that lawsuit and an additional $83 million judgment that Carroll won.
Trump maintains that both incidents are intertwined and rely on the president’s public statements. The Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that presidents are immune from prosecution for most official actions, which Trump claims protects him from Carroll’s suit.
Trump’s formal response is the latest wrinkle in Carroll’s efforts to punish her over a 1990s controversy in which she claimed she was sexually assaulted by Trump at a New York City department store.
The small verdict came after a New York jury found Trump responsible for sexually abusing Carroll. The larger verdict came after another jury found Trump to have defamed Carroll when he denied her claims.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the second jury to accept the previous jury’s verdict and decide only how much Trump owed Carroll for his comments as president.
The Supreme Court on June 29 refused to hear his appeal of the $5.8 million lawsuit. Carroll then asked Kaplan to order Trump to pay her.
However, President Trump said in his July 7 response that he could still appeal the $83 million judgment by July 28. He also asked the Supreme Court to reconsider the $5.8 million lawsuit that the judge had earlier rejected.
Trump has argued that his comments as president were key to the smaller ruling and were an “integral” part of the larger ruling.
“The use of the president’s public statements is important because this court has made clear that the president’s official acts cannot be used as evidence to impose liability for the actions of others,” Trump’s lawyers said in a court filing.
Mr. Trump said that if Mr. Kaplan orders Mr. Carroll to pay, “there is a strong possibility that the funds will never be recovered.” He cited several articles in which she was reported to have said she would spend money on “things Trump doesn’t like.”
Kaplan has not set a deadline for acting on Trump’s application.
