Donald Trump just made a bold legal move that could wipe out an $83 million verdict against him. The President is appealing to the Supreme Court to overturn E. Jean Carroll’s defamation win using presidential immunity arguments.
Donald Trump wants Supreme Court to overturn E. Jean Carroll win
President Donald Trump on Tuesday appealed the $83.3 million defamation verdict to the Supreme Court, CNN reports. His legal team argues presidential immunity shields him from the litigation entirely. The appeal relies heavily on the court’s 2024 decision granting presidents wide immunity for official actions.
“This is the first case in our nation’s history in which a court has imposed damages liability on a president for his conduct in office,” Trump’s attorneys told the high court. They also argued the Second Circuit never properly decided whether presidential immunity applies to this case. Additionally, Trump wants the United States government substituted as the defendant instead of him personally.
“Here, the president of the United States has been ordered to pay nearly $100 million in damages … for issuing a press release and answering reporters’ questions, from the White House, defending against attacks on his fitness for office,” his attorneys stated. Attorneys for Carroll declined to comment on the new appeal.
The case stems from statements Trump made against Carroll in 2019 while serving as president. A jury found those statements defamatory and awarded Carroll $83 million in damages. A federal appeals court panel later affirmed the award, calling it “reasonable in light of the extraordinary and egregious facts.”
The full 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to revisit the decision in late April. US Circuit Judge Denny Chin wrote that Trump raised his immunity claims far too late. “Presidential immunity was not raised for the first three years of this case,” Chin noted.
The Supreme Court will not consider the appeal until fall because it is not currently in session. If the court agrees to hear the case, a decision would likely not arrive until next June.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
