Carroll Opposes Trump’s Supreme Court Appeal
Attorneys argue the president should accept the consequences of his litigation choices regarding an $83 million verdict.
By Alina Campbell ·
E Jean Carroll’s legal team filed a formal opposition to Donald Trump’s request for the Supreme Court to review her $83 million damages verdict.
The filing, submitted on October 30, directly addresses the president’s recent bid to have the justices toss the award. Carroll’s lawyers argue that the high court does not need to intervene in a case that has already survived multiple lower court appeals.
Jurors awarded Carroll the $83 million sum on January 26, 2024. This decision came less than one year after she secured a separate $5 million award in her sexual abuse and defamation suit against Trump. The president has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with the case.
Trump’s attorneys claim that presidential immunity shields him from liability for conduct that occurred while he was in office. They specifically point to his 2019 statements calling Carroll a liar as official acts. Their legal brief states that without Supreme Court intervention, the sitting president faces nearly $100 million in personal liability for actions within his federal role.
The defense argues that such financial exposure could chill the exercise of executive power for future leaders. They contend that the review would protect the institution of the Presidency rather than just the individual.
Roberta Kaplan, who leads Carroll’s legal team, noted that the verdict from the second trial has been upheld repeatedly by lower courts. Her team wrote that Carroll fought this case for seven years, enduring five appeals, eight stay motions, and six days of trial. They highlighted that the case proceeded despite Trump’s increasingly vicious accusations and thousands of threats of death and sexual violence from his followers.
Carroll’s lawyers stated that the defamatory comments had a domino effect, leading to continuous attacks on social media and in emails. They added that while the president may want the court's help, the office itself does not need it. In September, Trump agreed to stop fighting the first jury verdict after the Supreme Court declined to hear that specific appeal. A spokesman for Trump’s team described the ongoing litigation as a Democrat-funded travesty and a witch hunt.
