Trump asks US supreme court to toss E Jean Carroll’s $83m defamation verdict

Move marks second time US president has asked supreme court justices to nix damages awarded by a jury to Carroll

Donald Trump and the justice department are asking the US supreme court to toss an $83m defamation verdict won by writer E Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault, saying he can’t be sued for comments he made while he was president.

It’s the second time Trump has asked the justices to nix damages awarded by a jury to Carroll, a longtime New York advice columnist and former talkshow host. The supreme court refused in June to hear his appeal of another verdict, for $5m, that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.