31st December 2024 – (New York) A federal appeals court in New York has upheld the $5 million verdict against President-elect Donald Trump in the sexual abuse and defamation case brought by former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. The ruling, issued on Monday by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, found that Trump failed to prove any errors made by the lower court adversely affected the outcome of the trial.
The three-judge panel stated, “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.”
Trump’s legal team contended that the inclusion of testimony from two of his previous sexual assault accusers was improperly admitted and argued against the court’s use of a 2005 recording in which Trump discussed kissing and groping women without consent.
In early 2023, a jury determined that Trump had sexually abused Carroll in a Manhattan department store in 1996, though they found he did not rape her. The jury also ruled that he defamed Carroll through statements made in 2022, resulting in the substantial damages awarded to her.
Trump has consistently denied the accusations, claiming he did not know Carroll and suggesting she fabricated the incident to promote her memoir.
This latest ruling adds to Trump’s legal challenges, as a separate jury previously ordered him to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million for ongoing defamation and reputational harm through his social media statements. Trump is currently appealing that larger verdict.
