Trump Petitions Supreme Court to Overturn $88 Million Verdict in E. Jean Carroll Lawsuit

By Jim Mishler | Monday, 10 November 2025 07:29 PM EST

President Donald Trump has requested the Supreme Court to overturn a jury ruling that found him liable for abuse against writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s, according to his legal team. Carroll has pursued Trump in court twice, securing $88.3 million in damages. The petition marks the first time the dispute has reached the nation’s highest court.

In 2023, a Manhattan jury determined Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a department store dressing room decades prior and for defaming her when he denied her allegations during his presidency. That jury ordered him to pay $5 million. A new 33-page petition submitted by Trump’s legal team describes Carroll’s claims as “facially implausible, politically motivated” and requests the justices review evidentiary rulings deemed “tainted” by his lawyers.

The filing argues that Carroll delayed over 20 years before falsely accusing Trump, who she politically opposes, until after he became the 45th President to maximize political harm and financial gain. Trump’s legal team also contends jurors should not have been allowed to view a related video or hear testimony from other women who accused him of sexual assault, calling the evidence “prejudicial.”

An appeals court rejected these arguments in June by an 8-2 vote. While the Supreme Court rarely takes cases solely to address lower court errors, Trump’s lawyers claim the evidentiary issues raise legal questions that have divided lower courts. A spokesman for Trump’s legal team stated, “The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes.”

A judge has already ruled that the first jury’s verdict made Trump automatically liable in Carroll’s separate defamation lawsuit, which awarded her $83.3 million. A legal spokesperson for Trump previously referred to the case as a “sham,” accusing Democrats of politically weaponizing the justice system.

The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to hear the case during a closed-door conference later this term.