E. Jean Carroll Case: Donald Trump Loses Appeal; $5M Verdict Remains

Trump’s request for a new trial in his sexual abuse lawsuit is denied by the court.

The jury’s decision that former President Donald Trump sexually assaulted author E. Jean Carroll was maintained by a federal appeals court, which denied Trump’s request for a new trial. The ruling upholds Carroll’s $5 million civil judgment from earlier this year.

Trump contested the decision, arguing that the trial judge had made serious mistakes, such as permitting the evidence of two additional women who had accused him of sexual assault. Nonetheless, the court of appeals concluded that the trial judge’s actions were within his authority. The court determined that even if mistakes had been made, they were not substantial enough to impair Trump’s rights or call for a new trial.

“Today’s decision has pleased me and E. Jean Carroll. In a statement, Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, said, “We appreciate the Second Circuit’s thoughtful evaluation of the parties’ arguments.

Carroll said that Trump sexually assaulted her at Manhattan’s upscale department store, Bergdorf Goodman, in the 1990s. Additionally, she asserted that Trump defamed her by denying the accusations, claiming that she wasn’t his type, and accusing her of making up the tale to promote her book.

Carroll did not show that Trump had raped her, but the jury in the civil trial found Trump accountable for sexual abuse, which satisfied the legal requirement for battery.

The New York State Adult Survivors Act, which was passed in 2022 and gave adult survivors of sexual assault a one-year opportunity to bring civil claims, even if the statute of limitations had long before passed, was the legal basis for this action.

A different jury recently found that Trump defamed Carroll by publicly denying the abuse, in addition to the $5 million verdict for sexual abuse. The jury also awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages. Trump has also appealed that decision.

It’s crucial to remember that these are civil proceedings, thus the verdicts do not impose jail time on Trump. He still insists that Carroll’s charges are untrue and rejects any accusations of misconduct.