(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Donald Trump and the Department of Justice on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to vacate the $88.3 million judgment awarded to E. Jean Carroll, the woman who accused the president of sexual abuse.
In a petition for a writ of certiorari, Trump’s attorneys asked the justices to overturn the judgment, asserting it stemmed from comments he made while serving as president during his first term.
In the 334-page filing, the attorneys added that Trump enjoyed presidential immunity under a 2024 Supreme Court ruling.
They contended Carroll’s defamation claims are invalid because his statements fell within the scope of his official duties.
Trump and the DOJ also asked the court to remove Trump as the defendant and place the federal government instead. This move would effectively shield Trump from personal liability for the controversial damages awarded to Carroll, as reported by SCOTUSBlog.
“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,” the lawyers affirmed.
Trump’s attorneys also urged the court to reconsider an earlier refusal to hear his appeal of the separate $5 million verdict awarded to Carroll. That sum followed a federal jury’s ruling that Trump was civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
Another federal jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in compensatory and punitive damages for purported reputational harm stemming from Trump’s statements about her.
Carroll alleged that Trump sexually abused her during an encounter at Bergdorf Goodman sometime between late 1995 and early 1996.
Trump has categorically denied the allegation.
Carroll later sued him for defamation after he publicly rebuked her claims as false.
