Supreme Court Leaves E. Jean Carroll’s $5 Million Award Against Trump Intact

Jimmy ParkerJuly 1, 20260

High Court Leaves the Jury Award in Place

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Trump’s bid to throw out E. Jean Carroll’s sexual abuse case, leaving in place a $5 million judgment against him. A Manhattan jury had already found that Carroll did not prove Trump raped her, but it did find that he sexually abused her and ordered him to pay damages. In other words, the legal system just did what it so often does in Washington and New York: it kept the money flowing and the headlines spinning.

What the Jury Found in the Earlier Trial

Carroll first accused Trump in 2019, saying he raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s. Trump denied the allegation and called Carroll a “whack job” who was “not my type.” The jury later concluded that Carroll had not proven rape, but said she had proven sexual abuse. That split verdict has been a major part of the case ever since, and it is the reason the dispute has kept moving through appeals, motions, and more legal theater than a Broadway matinee.

Trump’s Response and the Broader Fight

Trump responded by saying the Supreme Court declined to review what he called a “fake case” and a product of “weaponization and lawfare.” He also argued the case should never have been allowed to move forward and said New York created a law to target him after the fact. Last month, reports said the Justice Department had opened an investigation into the funding Carroll received from billionaire Reid Hoffman for lawsuits against Trump. Trump also faces a separate defamation judgment in Carroll’s favor, with a January 2024 jury order of $83.3 million in damages.