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Trump Asks Supreme Court to Throw Out $83 Million Award
Cybersecarmor.com – WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has formally petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn a $83.3 million jury award he was ordered to pay writer E. Jean Carroll, arguing that the judgment could permanently leave presidents fearful of civil liability for actions they take in office. The filing, submitted on July 28, represents Trump’s latest attempt to challenge the legal consequences of his public statements about Carroll.
"If left standing, the decision below will cause significant damage, not only to this President and future Presidents, but also to 'the Nation that the Presidency was designed to serve,'" Trump's legal team stated in their filing. "As this Court has recognized, it 'would seriously cripple the proper and effective administration of' government if Presidents feared that their official acts could result in damages liability."
Background of the Legal Dispute
Both cases are part of a legal battle between Trump and Carroll that dates back to 2019 and includes two civil trials. Carroll said in 2019 that Trump sexually assaulted her at a New York City department store in 1996, and Trump fired back with allegations that she was making up the story to sell her book.
Carroll sued him months later, eventually winning the $83.3 million judgment for damages. As the case was ongoing, Trump repeated the denial in a 2022 social media post. Carroll then sued Trump again under a special window of time that New York granted to sexual abuse survivors, and in 2023, a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse against Carroll. This resulted in the $5 million verdict.
Trump has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its rejection of his appeal of the $5 million verdict, a move that is rarely successful. But the court already rejected Trump's appeal in a related case about more than $5 million that a jury said Trump must pay Carroll.
Legal Arguments and Court Rulings
Trump's lawyers have argued he should have immunity for his 2019 comments about Carroll because he made them while serving as president. "That use of official Presidential statements matters, because this Court has made clear that official Presidential acts may not be used as evidence to impose liability for other conduct," his lawyers have told the justices, referencing the court's 2024 ruling that presidents can't be criminally prosecuted for “official” acts taken by a president.
But in rejecting Trump’s appeal of the trial court judgment in September, the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the $83.3 million judgement was reasonable “in light of the extraordinary and egregious facts of this case.”
The court said the starting point of its review “is the now-indisputable fact that a jury found in (the other case) that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996," which precludes another appeal. "The record in this case supports the district court's determination that the ‘the degree of reprehensibility' of Mr. Trump's conduct was remarkably high, perhaps unprecedented,” the appeals court wrote in its opinion.
Trump’s repeated comments about Carroll resulted in “a multitude of death threats and other threats of physical injury,” the appeals court said. The jury was allowed to find that Trump would not stop defaming Carroll unless he was hit with a substantial financial penalty, the court continued.
Carroll’s lawyers declined comment on Trump's latest filing. The Supreme Court will now decide whether to grant certiorari and hear Trump’s arguments about presidential immunity for his statements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trump asking the Supreme Court to do?
Trump asks Supreme Court to throw out the $83.3 million jury award that E. Jean Carroll received, arguing that the judgment could set a precedent affecting future presidents and their ability to make official statements without fear of civil liability.
How much does Trump owe E. Jean Carroll in total?
Trump owes Carroll a combined $88.3 million, consisting of the $83.3 million judgment for defamation and the $5 million verdict for sexual abuse, though he is currently seeking to overturn both awards through Supreme Court appeals.
What is the basis of Trump’s presidential immunity argument?
Trump’s legal team contends that his 2019 comments about Carroll were made in his official capacity as president and should be protected from being used as evidence to impose liability for other conduct, citing the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling on presidential immunity.
When did the original allegations between Trump and Carroll begin?
The legal dispute began in 2019 when Carroll publicly accused Trump of sexually assaulting her at a New York City department store in 1996, leading to multiple lawsuits and trials over the following years.
