Trump Appeals Carroll Verdict to Supreme Court

President Trump is asking the Supreme Court to throw out a jury's verdict that held him liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll. The appeal marks the first time the civil case has reached the justices, the Hill reports, after two separate trials resulted in a combined $88.3 million in damages awarded to Carroll. Trump's legal team argues that Carroll's accusations—dating to the mid-1990s—are "implausible" and politically motivated, claiming she only came forward after Trump became president to inflict maximum damage and profit from the allegations.

The petition, which has not yet appeared on the court's public docket, criticizes key evidentiary rulings from the trial, specifically the jury's exposure to the infamous Access Hollywood tape and testimony from other women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Trump's lawyers say these elements unfairly prejudiced the jury, though a midlevel appeals court rejected their arguments in an 8-2 decision. The Supreme Court typically avoids cases that focus solely on alleged trial errors, but Trump's attorneys insist the evidentiary issues raise broader legal questions that have split lower courts. Trump has been able to derail civil judgments against him, the Washington Post points out. In August, an appeals court threw out a penalty topping $500 million in a civil fraud lawsuit.