NEW YORK — A federal appeals court has affirmed a $5 million jury verdict against President-elect Donald Trump in the sexual assault lawsuit filed by New York journalist E. Jean Carroll. The judges of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled that there was no misuse of discretion by the presiding judge during the May 2023 trial that resulted in the verdict against Trump.
The case centered around allegations from Carroll, a former “Ask E. Jean” advice columnist, who accused Trump of sexually abusing her in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room in 1996 and subsequently defaming her in a Truth Social post in October 2022, where he denied her accusations, calling them a “hoax.”
During the proceedings, the defense highlighted issues with the trial evidence that included the contentious 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump made derogatory remarks about women. Trump’s legal team had sought a new trial on grounds of these alleged errors, arguing that the evidence tainted the jury against him.
The appellate court, however, rejected these claims, stating, “The district court did not abuse its discretion in making any of the challenged evidentiary rulings. The jury made its assessment of the facts and claims on a properly developed record.”
In addition to the lawsuit involving Carroll, Trump is facing another monetary judgment—he is appealing an $83.3 million verdict from January 2024. This separate jury found that Trump damaged Carroll’s reputation after she first publicized her allegations in June 2019. Trump had responded to her allegations by asserting he had never met her and disparaged her character in an attempt to discredit her claims.
Trump’s political adviser, Steven Cheung, reacted to the court’s decision with a defiant statement. “The American People have re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate,” Cheung said, citing a need to halt the “political weaponization of our justice system” and dismiss what he referred to as “Witch Hunts” like the “Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax.”
On the other side, Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan (no relation to Judge Kaplan), expressed satisfaction with the legal process. “We are gratified by today’s decision,” she stated, adding appreciation for the appellate court’s “careful consideration of the parties’ arguments.”
The affirmation of the verdict against Trump underscores continuing legal challenges that intermix with his political career, illustrating the complex interplay of personal legal battles with public duties in the United States’ political and legal landscape.
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