The Supreme Court on Monday declined for a second time to review former President Donald Trump's request to avoid paying $5.6 million to writer E. Jean Carroll. The case appeared on the court's list of denials. Trump had previously asked the court to reconsider its June decision not to allow him to claw back the judgment for sexual abuse and defamation.
In an unusual procedural step, the Supreme Court had agreed to distribute Trump's petition for rehearing to all nine justices. A minimum of four justices must agree to take up a case for review. Trump's lawyers had argued that the rehearing request would "present important questions concerning Presidential immunity for statements President Trump made in 2019, while serving as President." This argument aimed to connect the Supreme Court's 2024 presidential immunity decision in Trump v. United States to the Carroll case, suggesting that reasoning from the criminal case should apply to civil matters.
Trump has already turned over $5 million in damages, plus interest, to Carroll. The lawsuit, filed by Carroll in 2022, accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and subsequently defaming her after she publicly shared her accusations. Carroll's legal team has maintained that Trump has already unsuccessfully attempted to make his case before multiple courts, including the Supreme Court.
Separately, Trump is appealing another defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll, concerning an $83 million judgment. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear that appeal later this year.
