Trump Legal Team at Sullivan & Cromwell Splits Firm

Sullivan & Cromwell, the powerful New York law firm that leads Donald Trump's legal team, is helping the president ask the Supreme Court to review an $83 million defamation verdict won by writer E. Jean Carroll. The move breaks an earlier promise from the firm's leadership and has caused anger among its own partners, according to The Wall Street Journal.

What Happened?

Sullivan & Cromwell is preparing a Supreme Court petition asking the justices to review the $83 million verdict a jury awarded Carroll in a defamation case, according to the Journal. This is a separate case from the $5 million sexual abuse and defamation verdict the Supreme Court already refused to hear on June 29, as CNBC and PBS reported.

Above the Law, citing the Journal, reported that S&C co-chairman Robert Giuffra had told partners the firm would only handle two of Trump's cases: his appeal of the hush money criminal conviction and his appeal of a civil fraud ruling. Giuffra reportedly promised the firm would stay out of the Carroll cases. That line has now been crossed, and Giuffra himself is said to be doing some of the Carroll-related work.

The Daily Beast reported that the firm took on the assignment at the urging of Boris Epshteyn, Trump's personal attorney who has helped coordinate his legal strategy.

Why This Matters

The Journal's reporting shows some partners are upset about how the decision was made. According to the Daily Beast's account of the story, several partners complained to colleagues and outsiders about a lack of openness from firm leadership, and some worry the firm is turning into a go-to shop for all of Trump's personal legal problems.

A firm spokesperson told the Journal that taking Trump on as a client followed "thorough discussion" among partners and firm leadership, but did not say whether that same process applied to the newer Carroll work. The firm has declined to discuss the Carroll case specifically, citing client confidentiality.

Carroll first said in 2019 that Trump sexually assaulted her decades earlier in a department store dressing room. She later won two separate cases against him: a 2023 jury verdict on sexual abuse and defamation worth about $5 million, and a January 2024 verdict on separate defamation claims worth $83 million. Both awards have grown with interest. The petition over the $83 million verdict is expected to lean on arguments that Trump has presidential immunity, similar to the defense his lawyers have used in his separate criminal appeal, according to Law.com.

The case adds to a wider pattern. Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers have taken several top jobs in the Trump administration this year, including a nomination to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and a nomination to the federal appeals court in New York.

What Happens Next

Trump's Supreme Court petition on the $83 million verdict had not been filed as of this writing. Carroll's legal team has not publicly responded to the reports of Sullivan & Cromwell's involvement.