Supreme Court Declines to Rehear Trump's Appeal in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday rejected former President Donald Trump's request for reconsideration of its refusal to review a civil lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll. This decision upholds a $5 million verdict against Trump.

The court released its announcement as part of a series of summer order lists. It did not provide an explanation for denying Trump's petition for rehearing in *Trump v. Carroll*, a standard practice for such denials. The court rarely grants these petitions; it has not done so since 2018.

Carroll initiated the lawsuit in 2022. She alleged Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store in 1996 and then defamed her in 2022 after she publicly disclosed the allegations.

After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit affirmed the jury's verdict, Trump appealed to the Supreme Court. In a November 2025 petition, he argued that the court should not have permitted testimony from other women alleging assault by Trump, nor the 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape. Carroll, in response, urged the justices to reject Trump's appeal, asserting that even if the evidence introduction was improper, other elements of her case were strong.

Initially, the justices planned to consider Trump's original petition in February 2026. They postponed this until their June 25 conference, denying the petition four days later.

Trump returned to the court on July 8, seeking a reconsideration of their decision to let the 2nd Circuit's ruling stand. He contended that Carroll's lawyers in his trial used statements he made while president. He argued a second petition for review, filed on July 28 in a separate Carroll lawsuit that resulted in an $83 million award against him, "will present the issue of whether" those "statements constitute protected official acts, which they do." If the Supreme Court agrees, he said, then the 2022 case should not have included them as evidence.

On July 13, Carroll received the $5 million, plus interest, which had been held in an escrow account following the verdict. The court expects to consider Trump's second petition for review in the fall.

Separately, the justices also declined a request from Verizon Communications. Verizon sought to modify an earlier ruling against the carrier. On June 4, the Supreme Court ruled that the Federal Communications Commission's process for imposing sanctions for federal telecommunications law violations does not infringe upon the constitutional right to a jury trial.

On June 29, Verizon filed a petition for rehearing. The company emphasized it did not ask the court to reconsider its June 4 opinion. Verizon stated that a court footnote acknowledged an argument from Verizon and AT&T, another litigant, that specific forfeiture orders misled them into paying, making a refund appropriate. The court did not rule on this question, stating it "express[ed] no view on the merits of this argument, what relief may be available to the carriers, or in what proceeding."

The Supreme Court's June 4 decision reversed a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in AT&T's favor, returning the case for further proceedings. Verizon suggested it should have the same opportunity, but currently does not, as the Supreme Court had "affirmed" the 2nd Circuit's ruling in the FCC's favor. Verizon asked the justices to "modify" their ruling and send its case back to the lower court to consider its challenge to the specific forfeiture order against Verizon. The court declined this request on Monday without explanation.

The third and final summer order list is scheduled for September 4.