US court upholds $5M verdict against Trump
The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a jury's decision that former United States President Donald Trump sexually abused columnist E Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s. The court confirmed the $5 million award granted to Carroll for defamation and sexual abuse. Carroll had testified that a friendly encounter with Trump in a department store dressing room in 1996 turned violent.
Appeals court rejects Trump's claims of trial errors
The appeals court rejected Trump's lawyers' claims that trial Judge Lewis A. Kaplan made errors that impacted the trial's fairness. The judge had allowed testimony from two other women who accused Trump of sexual abuse and allowed the jury to see the "Access Hollywood" tape where Trump made controversial remarks about women. The court said, "Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings."
Additional defamation award and courtroom demeanor
This second trial, stemming from Trump's 2019 remarks on Carroll, culminated in another $83.3 million award for defamation. In this trial, Trump took the stand for a brief period but was barred from disputing the May 2023 jury's earlier findings. Throughout the two-week trial, Trump's animated courtroom demeanor was observed and his grumbling about the case was heard by jurors.
Reactions to the court's decision
After the verdict, Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, slammed the decision and called for an end to what he termed politically motivated legal actions against Trump. Meanwhile, Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's lawyer, thanked the court for its decision and careful consideration of arguments. "Both E Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today's decision. We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties' arguments," Kaplan said in a statement.
