- Appeals court upholds $83.3M defamation verdict against Trump.
- Presidential immunity claim rejected by Second Circuit.
- Carroll’s legal team moves closer to final resolution of case.
A federal appeals court on Monday rejected former President Donald Trump’s bid to overturn a jury verdict requiring him to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defamation. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Trump “failed to identify any grounds” to challenge its prior holding on presidential immunity.
The appellate panel also affirmed that the lower federal court “did not err in any of the challenged rulings and that the jury’s damages awards are fair and reasonable.” This ruling upholds the first of two civil cases Carroll has filed against Trump, both stemming from allegations that he defamed her in response to her claims that he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s.
Background of the Carroll Lawsuits
Carroll filed the initial case, known as Carroll I, after Trump made public statements in 2019 denying her accusations. The second case, Carroll II, arose from similar statements in 2022. In Carroll II, a jury concluded after a spring 2023 trial that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996 and later defamed her.
Trump’s appeal in Carroll I argued that the lower court wrongly prevented his lawyers from relitigating whether his statements about Carroll were true or false. The appellate judges disagreed, noting that the material content of statements in both cases was “identical in material respects” because they accused Carroll of fabricating her sexual assault allegations.
Presidential Immunity Argument Rejected
Trump’s legal team also cited a July 2024 Supreme Court ruling expanding presidential immunity as a reason to overturn the verdict. The Second Circuit judges rejected this argument, writing, “We are not persuaded.” They concluded that the Supreme Court decision did not affect the prior dismissal of Trump’s immunity claims in this case.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, praised the ruling, stating, “We look forward to an end to the appellate process so that justice will finally be done.” Trump’s lawyers have indicated plans to appeal Carroll II to the Supreme Court.
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The appellate decision marks a significant legal setback for Trump and reinforces the jury’s $83.3 million defamation award in Carroll I. As the legal battle continues, both cases highlight the ongoing ramifications of public statements and presidential immunity in civil litigation.
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