A federal appeals court has upheld a civil jury’s decision that President Donald Trump must pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll for his repeated social media attacks against her after she accused him of sexual assault. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s appeal of the defamation award, stating that the damages were fair and reasonable. Trump argued that the damages were excessive and sought a new trial due to the Supreme Court’s expansion of presidential immunity, but the appeals court dismissed these arguments, citing the severity of Trump’s attacks on Carroll as justification for the substantial award.
Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, expressed satisfaction with the ruling, emphasizing that it affirmed Carroll’s truthfulness and contradicted Trump’s denials. The case focused on the second defamation award given to Carroll, stemming from Trump’s derogatory remarks following her sexual assault allegations in 2019.
In her memoir and during a 2023 trial, Carroll detailed a disturbing encounter with Trump in 1996, alleging that he sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan store. Despite Trump’s denials and claims that Carroll fabricated the incident, the jury found him liable for sexual assault. The subsequent trial aimed to determine damages for Trump’s attacks on Carroll’s character and credibility, leading to the significant award.
Throughout the legal proceedings, Trump portrayed the lawsuit as a smear campaign to hinder his political aspirations. His defense team’s objections to trial rules were overruled, with the appeals court affirming the jury’s reasonable damages decision. The ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battle between Carroll and Trump.