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What is the status of E. Jean Carroll's second lawsuit against Donald Trump in 2024?
Executive summary
E. Jean Carroll’s second federal lawsuit against Donald Trump proceeded to a January 2024 trial on damages and produced major post-trial litigation: juries issued large awards ($5 million for sexual abuse/defamation in the earlier civil finding upheld on appeal and an $83.3 million award in a separate defamation trial in January 2024), and Trump has continued to appeal up to the U.S. Supreme Court petition filed in November 2025 (appeals court affirmed the $5 million verdict in Dec. 2024) [1] [2] [3] [4]. Available sources do not mention other outcomes beyond appeals and Supreme Court petitions in the materials provided (not found in current reporting).
1. What the “second” lawsuit was and how it reached trial
Carroll’s second federal suit revisited allegations that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid‑1990s and later defamed her; Judge Lewis Kaplan allowed Carroll to amend pleadings and set a January 15, 2024, start date for the trial unless the case was disposed of earlier, moving the matter into the 2024 trial calendar [1]. Reporting notes the second suit followed an earlier federal proceeding and was litigated amid overlapping defamation claims and separate state‑ and federal‑law fights [5] [6].
2. Jury verdicts and damage awards that matter to the status question
A federal jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, awarding $5 million that a Second Circuit panel later affirmed in December 2024; separately, a different federal jury in January 2024 awarded Carroll about $83.3 million on related defamation claims concerning later statements by Trump—both awards became focal points of subsequent appeals and motions [2] [3] [7].
3. Appellate rulings up to late 2024 and the immediate legal posture
Trump appealed the $5 million finding, arguing evidentiary errors—particularly the admission of testimony by other women and the Access Hollywood tape—but the Second Circuit rejected those arguments in December 2024, concluding any errors were harmless and upholding the district court judgment [2] [7]. The appeals court decision left the federal verdict intact and set the stage for further review requests [7].
4. Supreme Court petition and the narrow legal questions presented
After losing at the Second Circuit and being denied en banc review, Trump petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the $5 million verdict; his filings challenge the trial judge’s evidentiary rulings and argued the evidence improperly permitted propensity proof and other inflammatory material [4] [8]. The Justice Department also filed an amicus brief focused on a separate question raised in the litigation—whether presidential immunity can be waived for civil damages predicated on official acts—signaling broader constitutional issues at play [9].
5. Competing narratives and political context
Trump’s legal team frames the litigation as politically motivated “lawfare” and describes Carroll’s allegations as implausible and timed for political effect; outlets carrying Trump statements emphasize ongoing appeals and contention over admissible evidence [10] [8]. Carroll’s lawyers and supportive reporters counter that the appellate court’s affirmance vindicated the jury’s factual findings and found the trial court’s evidentiary choices within permissible bounds [2] [7].
6. What remains unresolved and what to watch next
The immediate status after the appeals: the Second Circuit affirmed the $5 million verdict in December 2024 and denials of en banc review left the case ripe for Supreme Court consideration; Trump’s November 2025 petition asks the high court to review and could, if granted, alter or vacate lower‑court rulings [2] [4]. Observers should watch whether four justices agree to hear the case (grant certiorari), any Supreme Court briefing schedules, and related enforcement or collection actions on the judgments, which reporting to date does not detail (not found in current reporting).
7. Limits of available reporting and why context matters
The sources provided document trial dates, jury awards, the Second Circuit’s December 2024 affirmance, and a Supreme Court petition in November 2025, but they do not report a Supreme Court decision or final enforcement outcomes in the materials supplied; therefore any claim about the ultimate finality of Carroll’s judgments beyond the appeals and petition stage is not in these sources [2] [4] (not found in current reporting). Different outlets emphasize legal technicalities (evidentiary rules, presidential‑immunity questions) or political framing; readers should note that appellate records and the Supreme Court docket will be decisive for the case’s final status [9] [8].