Appeals Court Upholds $5 Million E. Jean Carroll Verdict Against Donald Trump

A federal appeals court upheld a $5 million jury award to writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused President-elect Donald Trump of sexually abusing her in the 1990s and defaming her decades later.

On Monday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump's argument the verdict was "grossly excessive" and should be thrown out due to what he said were unfair rulings from the judge who presided over the nine-day trial, noted NBC News.

“We conclude that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,” the panel stated in its ruling. “Further, he has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial.”

Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan said she and her client "are gratified by today's decision. We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties' arguments."

A former columnist for Elle magazine, Carroll said she filed the lawsuit against Trump to “clear my name and to get my life back.”

Trump Camp Responds

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, shot back in response to the decision.

"The American People have re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate, and they demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax, which will continue to be appealed,” Cheung said, according to NPR.

Carroll's lawsuit accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996 and consistently insulting and defaming her, labeling the allegations a "hoax" and a "con job" after she went public with her story in 2019. Trump, who denied the allegations, refused to testify and never presented a defense during the trial.

Trump's appeal focused on objections to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan's decisions, including allowing testimony from two other women who also said Trump had sexually accosted them. The court also upheld Kaplan's decision to admit the infamous 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape, in which Trump was heard boasting about groping women without their consent.

The appeals court found the additional testimony and evidence relevant, stating it demonstrated "a pattern tending to directly corroborate witness testimony and to confirm that the alleged sexual assault actually occurred."

Separately, Trump is appealing an $83 million defamation judgment in another case brought by Carroll, which centers on comments he made during his presidency and after the $5 million verdict. That case, delayed by Trump's claims of presidential immunity, is also before the 2nd Circuit, noted NPR.

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