Aug 21, 2026
President Donald Trump and the Department of Justice have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual assault. The DOJ is separately seeking to replace Trump as the defendant by invoking federal law.
Manhattan federal court Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the release of $5.8 million from escrow to writer E. Jean Carroll, three years after a jury awarded her damages in a 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against Donald Trump. Trump has appealed the decision.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear President Donald Trump's appeal seeking to overturn a 2023 jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving in place the $5 million judgment against him.
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the writer who won civil lawsuits against President Donald Trump for sexual assault and defamation. The probe focuses on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony related to those cases, particularly regarding lawsuit funding.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Alan Dershowitz's request to revive his $300 million defamation lawsuit against CNN, while Justice Clarence Thomas issued a statement calling for the court to reconsider the landmark 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan ruling that makes it difficult for public figures to sue for libel.