Trump begs Supreme Court to toss his $5M sex abuse case

President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the $5 million sexual abuse and defamation verdict won against him by advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, CNN reported on Monday.

“There were no eyewitnesses, no video evidence, and no police report or investigation,” said Trump's appeal to the high court. “Instead, Carroll waited more than 20 years to falsely accuse Donald Trump, who she politically opposes, until after he became the 45th president, when she could maximize political injury to him and profit for herself.”

Carroll has alleged that Trump raped her in a department store in New York City in the late 1990s, although she does not recall the exact date. Trump has categorically denied these claims and asserts she is fabricating the story either to injure him or to advance her own career, which formed the basis of Carroll's lawsuit for defamation.

A jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in 2023. The matter has since been in and out of appeals in various courts.

"Whether the Supreme Court takes up the case is yet to be seen, but it likely won’t be the last time the justices are asked to review litigation involving Carroll," noted CNN. "A different jury found Trump liable for defaming Carroll for repeating his statements in 2022 and ordered him to pay $83 million in damages. A federal appeals court panel affirmed the damages award finding it 'reasonable in light of the extraordinary and egregious facts' and rejected several of Trump’s legal challenges" — additionally finding the Supreme Court's controversial ruling on presidential immunity last year did not apply to civil cases.

All of this is distinct from a half-billion-dollar civil fraud judgment New York Attorney General Letitia James won against Trump. A state appellate court tossed the damages while affirming the verdict; that decision is set for appeal.