E. Jean Carroll Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Verdict
E. Jean Carroll asked the Supreme Court to reject Donald Trump's appeal of an $83.3 million defamation verdict.
Writer E. Jean Carroll filed a brief with the Supreme Court of the United States urging the justices to reject an appeal by President Donald Trump regarding an $83.3 million defamation verdict. A federal jury awarded the damages in January 2024 after Trump denied Carroll's accounts of sexual abuse from 2019.
Trump's legal team argues the ruling wrongly eviscerates presidential immunity, claiming this is the first instance of a president facing damages liability for conduct while in office. In response, Carroll's lawyers contend that Trump waived his immunity by fighting the case for years and that his attacks on her fell outside the scope of official presidential duties.
Adding a new layer to the proceedings, the United States Department of Justice has petitioned the court to allow the government to replace Trump as the defendant. This move would effectively end the case, as existing laws bar defamation claims against the government.
