A federal appeals court has rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s request for a new trial in the case where a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll. The court dismissed Trump’s claims that the judge made decisions that harmed his standing with the jury. The jury unanimously concluded that there was enough evidence to support Carroll’s claim that Trump sexually abused her during an encounter in the 1990s. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the original trial verdict and found no errors in the judge’s decisions.
Carroll alleged that Trump sexually abused her during a chance encounter at a department store, which started off as a pleasant interaction but turned violent in a changing room. Trump has denied the allegations and vowed to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. He was also found liable for further defamation against Carroll in a separate trial. The juries in both cases awarded Carroll more than $88 million. Trump’s attorneys have not yet responded to the court’s decision, but a spokesman for Trump stated that they plan to appeal the ruling.
The appeals court upheld the decision of the trial judge to allow testimonies from two women who claimed to have experienced similar encounters with Trump as Carroll. Trump had complained about the jury being shown an outtake from “Access Hollywood” in which he made derogatory remarks about women. The court found that the judge had not erred in allowing the video to be shown. The civil lawsuit filed by Carroll included claims of sexual abuse and defamation under New York’s penal code. The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, but not for rape.
The judge later wrote that New York’s definition of rape is outdated and that Carroll’s assertion that Trump raped her was “substantially true.” The jury implicitly found that Trump digitally raped Carroll based on the evidence presented during the trial. Trump has continuously denied the allegations made by Carroll and has faced multiple legal battles related to these claims. The appeals court’s decision to reject his request for a new trial further solidifies the jury’s original verdict in favor of Carroll. The legal battle between Trump and Carroll is ongoing, with Trump planning to appeal the ruling.
