President Donald Trump is now facing an $83.3 million payment to writer E. Jean Carroll, following a federal appeals court’s rejection of his challenge to a verdict concerning defamation. This decision, made by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, stands by an earlier ruling that found Trump liable for slandering Carroll.
Trump’s legal team argued that his statements regarding Carroll were protected under presidential immunity and claimed the verdict was unjust. However, the panel of three judges found these arguments unconvincing.
The court’s opinion stated that Trump did not successfully demonstrate any grounds to revisit the issue of presidential immunity, and it affirmed that the damages awarded by the lower court were both fair and reasonable. The judges noted, “the level of condemnation” of Trump’s actions was substantially higher and, perhaps, unprecedented.
Carroll initially sued Trump after releasing a book in 2019, where she alleged that he sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room during the 1990s. Trump has consistently denied ever meeting Carroll, asserting that her accusations were fabricated to promote her book, and described her as not his “type.” His comments have led to claims of defamation against him.
This recent ruling comes after the court also dismissed another appeal from Trump related to evidence provided by Carroll’s legal team in a separate civil lawsuit.
The full panel of judges did not entertain Trump’s counterarguments, effectively forcing him to either concede or consider appealing to the Supreme Court.
