Court Rejects Trump’s Appeal on $5 Million Verdict in E. Jean Carroll Case

President Donald Trump has faced a setback as a federal appeals court declined to reconsider a $5 million verdict awarded to E. Jean Carroll. This ruling stems from a jury’s finding that Trump sexually abused Carroll and defamed her in the 1990s. On Friday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld its earlier decision with an 8-2 vote, affirming the jury’s award.

E. Jean Carroll, now 81 years old, accused Trump of attacking her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room around 1996. Additionally, she claimed he defamed her in an October 2022 post on Truth Social, where he labeled her allegations as a hoax. Trump has repeatedly denied the claims, asserting that Carroll was “not my type” and alleging that she fabricated the rape accusation to sell her memoir. In May 2023, jurors concluded that while Trump sexually assaulted Carroll, they did not find him guilty of rape as she had alleged.

Trump, who turns 79 on Saturday, is also challenging an $83 million jury verdict for defaming Carroll and damaging her reputation when he first denied her claim. Oral arguments for this case are scheduled for June 24, and a potential appeal on the $5 million verdict could proceed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, expressed satisfaction with the recent order, stating that Trump’s attempts to challenge the decisions of two juries have been unsuccessful. The split among judges on the appeals court included dissenting opinions from Trump-appointed judges, who argued that the evidence suggested Trump believed the lawsuit was politically motivated and that trial testimony included material that should not have been permitted.

Trump has denied allegations from other women as well and continues to contest the legal precedents influencing these cases.