Former President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an $83 million judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll by a federal jury. The judgment followed a separate jury finding Trump liable for defaming Carroll when he denied her sexual assault allegations.

In his petition, Trump argues that he is immune from liability for statements made during his presidency, accusing a federal appeals court of refusing to recognize this immunity. He contends that his public statements responding to Carroll's claims were made in his official capacity as president. This claim invokes the Supreme Court's 2024 presidential immunity decision, which provided broad protection from prosecution for official acts and halted then-special counsel Jack Smith's 2020 election probe.

However, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals faulted Trump for not raising the presidential immunity argument in a timely manner. Judge Denny Chin noted in an April opinion that "Presidential immunity was not raised for the first three years of this case." Judge Chin also stated, "The fact of the matter is that no other defendant would be permitted to move to substitute the United States in his place, fifteen months after trial and the entry of judgment against him."

A federal jury in 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s. The jury also found he defamed her in a 2022 social media post by calling her allegations "a Hoax and a lie" and stating, "This woman is not my type!"

The Supreme Court previously declined to hear Trump's appeal of a separate verdict that held him liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, which resulted in a $5 million damages award.

Notable Quotes

  • "The Second Circuit instead engaged in procedural contortions to avoid addressing Presidential immunity," Trump's petition said.
  • "Because accusations bearing on the President's fitness for office are unquestionably matters of public concern, Presidential statements responding to press questions about such accusations are plainly official. This Court should say so," the petition argued.
  • "The circuit court, in its ruling, blamed Trump for failing to raise his immunity argument in a timely fashion."
  • "The fact of the matter is that no other defendant would be permitted to move to substitute the United States in his place, fifteen months after trial and the entry of judgment against him," Judge Chin's opinion said.

Sources

ABC News: Trump asks SCOTUS to overturn $83M Carroll judgment based on presidential immunity