US Supreme Court rejects Trump's appeal in E Jean Carroll sexual abuse case

The US Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider President Donald Trump's appeal, which was his final attempt to overturn a civil judgment against him.

In 2023, a New York jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s and later calling her accusation a hoax on social media. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million (approximately £3.6 million) in damages.

Trump denied the allegations and repeatedly claimed that the judge presiding over the civil trial improperly allowed evidence that influenced the jury's perception. A federal appeals court upheld the jury's verdict last year, stating that a new trial was not warranted.

Trump then petitioned the highest court to intervene. The federal appeals court had already declined to rehear Trump's challenge in June.

The president has not yet commented on Monday's decision. The ruling means he must pay the damages awarded to Carroll.

The BBC has contacted Carroll's lawyers for comment.