A federal appeals court on Monday rejected former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a jury verdict that ordered him to pay $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reaffirmed the earlier decision, rejecting Trump’s claims that the damages were excessive or that a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity should affect the case.
Story Highlights
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Federal appeals court rejects Trump’s attempt to overturn $83.3 million defamation verdict.
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Court affirms jury’s ruling in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit, labeling damages fair and reasonable.
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Trump’s claims of presidential immunity dismissed by Second Circuit judges.
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Carroll II case jury found Trump sexually abused and defamed Carroll in 1996 and 2022.
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Trump plans to seek Supreme Court review in a second civil defamation case.
The panel, consisting of three judges—two appointed by former President Joe Biden and one by former President Barack Obama—made it clear that Trump had “failed to identify any grounds that would warrant reconsidering our prior holding on presidential immunity.”
In addition, the judges emphasized that a lower federal court had acted appropriately throughout the proceedings. They wrote, “The lower court did not err in any of the challenged rulings, and the jury’s damages awards are fair and reasonable.”
This decision comes shortly after Trump’s legal team indicated plans to petition the Supreme Court in a second civil case filed by Carroll. In that case, she was awarded $5 million, again alleging defamation by Trump. Both lawsuits revolve around Carroll’s accusations that Trump raped her in the mid-1990s at the Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman. Trump has consistently denied the allegations.
In Carroll’s second case, often referred to as Carroll II, the jury ruled in spring 2023 that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996 and defamed her in 2022, more than two decades later. The case highlighted the continuing legal challenges for Trump regarding claims of misconduct and defamation.
The White House deferred comments to Trump’s personal legal team, who did not immediately respond to inquiries about the appeals court’s decision.
Trump argued that a July 2024 Supreme Court decision, which granted former presidents presumptive immunity for “official acts” and other protections, should cast doubt on the appeals court’s prior dismissal of his immunity claims. His legal filing stated:
“Trump submits that [the Supreme Court case, Trump v. United States,] represents a sufficient intervening change of law and that enforcing our prior decision on immunity would work a manifest injustice in light of that change.”
The appeals court, however, firmly rejected this argument. In their ruling, the judges wrote:
“We are not persuaded. The claims regarding presidential immunity have already been considered, and no new grounds have been presented to warrant reconsideration.”
The $83.3 million defamation verdict and the broader legal battles underscore the ongoing ramifications of the Carroll lawsuits for Trump, highlighting the tension between claims of presidential immunity and accountability in civil cases.
The Second Circuit’s ruling leaves Trump liable for $83.3 million in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, rejecting his presidential immunity claims and affirming the jury’s award. The legal battle continues as Trump plans to seek Supreme Court review in related cases.
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