Full Breakdown
Trump Seeks Supreme Court Review of $83.3 Million Defamation Judgment Against E. Jean Carroll
7/29/2026, 4:56:51 AM
Core Event: Petition to Overturn Defamation Award
On July 28, 2026, former President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice each filed a petition with the Supreme Court asking that a Manhattan jury’s $83.3 million defamation judgment in favor of writer E. Jean Carroll be vacated. The petitions argue that the judgment should be dismissed because the statements at issue were made while Trump was president.
Background & Context
Carroll, a writer, alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department-store dressing room in the mid-1990s. She sued for both sexual-abuse damages and defamation after Trump publicly denied the allegation in 2019 and again in a 2022 social-media post.
- 2023: A New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
- 2024: A separate civil trial resulted in a jury awarding Carroll $83.3 million for defamation—$65 million in punitive damages and $18.3 million in compensatory damages.
- June 2024 (reported): The Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal of the $5 million verdict.
Carroll received the $5 million, plus more than $600,000 in interest, from a court-held fund after Trump deposited the money to secure the judgment.
Legal Arguments Presented
Trump’s Immunity Claim
Trump’s attorneys contend that the statements he made about Carroll in 2019 and 2022 constitute official presidential communications. They argue that, under the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision granting broad immunity for official acts, a president cannot be held liable for civil damages arising from such statements.
DOJ Substitution Argument
The Department of Justice’s petition asserts that the United States government should have been substituted as the defendant because the statements were made in the course of Trump’s official duties. If substitution had been permitted, the Westfall Act would have shielded the defendant from civil liability for defamation.
Appeals Court Rejection
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected both immunity arguments in September 2024, affirming the $83.3 million award. The full Second Circuit later declined to rehear the case, leaving the appellate decision intact.
Data & Statistics
- Defamation award: $83.3 million total
- $65 million punitive damages
- $18.3 million compensatory damages
- Earlier sexual-abuse award: $5 million (2023)
- Interest paid on the $5 million: over $600,000
- Petition filing date: July 28, 2026
Official Statements & Responses
- The DOJ’s filing emphasizes that the Westfall Act should apply, which would have required the government to replace Trump as the defendant and thereby dismiss the case.
What’s Next
The Supreme Court, currently on summer recess, is not expected to decide whether to grant review until its late-September session. If the Court declines to hear the petitions, the $83.3 million judgment will remain in force. If the Court agrees to review the case, it will consider whether presidential immunity under the 2024 precedent extends to the statements at issue in the defamation suit.
