The Supreme Court of the United States has declined to hear an appeal from US President Donald Trump over a $5 million civil judgment in favour of writer E. Jean Carroll, leaving the verdict against the president in place.

Carroll first sued Trump for defamation in 2019 before filing a second lawsuit in 2022 for battery and defamation after New York introduced a law allowing survivors of sexual abuse to pursue civil claims over past incidents. Although the 2022 case was filed later, it went to trial first, with a jury awarding Carroll $5 million after finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

A separate trial involving the 2019 lawsuit later resulted in an $83 million defamation award against Trump. With interest, the total amount he owes Carroll now exceeds $100 million.

Reacting to the Supreme Court's decision, Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said the ruling effectively brings Trump's attempts to overturn the $5 million judgment to an end.

Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s before defaming her by claiming she fabricated the allegation to promote her book. Trump has consistently denied the claims and argued that the trial judge made several legal errors, including allowing testimony from two other women who accused him of sexual assault and admitting the 2005 "Access Hollywood" recording into evidence.

Following the Supreme Court's decision, a spokesperson for Trump's legal team dismissed the case as a politically motivated "witch hunt," insisting the president would continue challenging what they described as "lawfare" while focusing on his administration's agenda.

The verdict had previously been upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which ruled that the trial judge acted within his discretion in admitting the contested evidence. Trump later failed to convince the full appeals court to reconsider the case before taking it to the Supreme Court.

Trump's lawyers argued that forcing a sitting president to continue defending decades-old allegations was harmful to the presidency and urged the Supreme Court to intervene. However, the justices declined to hear the appeal without providing an explanation, as is customary.

Trump is also expected to ask the Supreme Court to review the separate $83 million defamation judgment in the coming days.

After the original 2023 verdict, Trump deposited $5.5 million into a court-controlled account, meaning Carroll is expected to receive the funds without significant delay.