A federal appeals court on Monday refused to overturn the $83.3 million judgment against President Donald Trump in writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case.
The decision leaves intact a January 2024 jury verdict that ordered Trump to pay massive damages for comments he made in 2019 while serving as president.
Carroll’s Allegations
Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, alleged Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.
She later sued Trump for defamation after he denied the claims in 2019 and said she was “not my type.”
Trump has repeatedly denied her accusations, calling Carroll a “whack job.”
The Jury’s Decision
A nine-person jury in Manhattan awarded Carroll $18.3 million for reputational harm and $65 million in punitive damages.
The jury concluded Trump’s comments were defamatory and malicious.
It was one of the largest defamation verdicts ever issued against a U.S. president.
Appeals Court Ruling
On Monday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan unanimously upheld the verdict.
The panel wrote that Trump “failed to identify any grounds” to overturn the ruling.
Donald Trump
They said Judge Lewis Kaplan did not err in excluding certain testimony and that damages were “fair and reasonable.”
Trump’s lawyers argued he was immune because the comments were made while he was president.
They also pointed to a 2024 Supreme Court decision expanding presidential immunity in criminal cases.
The appeals court dismissed those claims, saying immunity does not apply in this context.
Carroll’s Response
Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan praised the ruling.
She said they look forward to the “end of the appellate process so that justice will finally be done.”
Carroll, now 81, has since published another memoir titled Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President.
Broader Legal Battles
This is not the first time Carroll has sued Trump.
In 2023, a different jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding $5 million.
That separate verdict was upheld in June 2024.
Trump has said the cases are part of a coordinated Democrat-led “lawfare” campaign against him.
His lawyers vowed to continue appealing to the Supreme Court.
