President-elect Donald Trump intends to appeal a Monday ruling upholding the $5 million verdict in the sexual assault case brought by former magazine writer E. Jean Carroll, according to his spokesperson.
“The American People have re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate, and they demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax, which will continue to be appealed,” Trump communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again.”
The three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied Trump’s request for a new trial on Monday. The court rejected his claim that the judge should not have allowed evidence like the “Access Hollywood” tape suggesting Trump committed other sexual assaults.
“On review for abuse of discretion, we conclude that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,” the court held. “Further, he has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial.”
BREAKING: Federal appeals court in New York has upheld the E. Jean Carroll verdict against Donald Trump. https://t.co/rGR9PW45sk pic.twitter.com/cbMAMQFTgq
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 30, 2024
Trump can now appeal the decision to the Supreme Court or the full Second Circuit.
A New York jury found Trump liable in May 2023 for sexual battery and defamation against Carroll, who accused him of raping her in Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996.
Trump is still appealing an additional $83.3 million in damages awarded to Carroll by a jury for another defamation claim.
ABC News and its host George Stephanopoulos agreed to a $15 million settlement earlier this month after Trump sued for defamation. Stephanopoulos claimed Trump was “found liable for rape by a jury,” though the jury only found him liable for sexual abuse.
The Supreme Court has ruled on several cases relating to Trump in the past year.
In July, the majority found that former presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for official acts taken in office after Trump moved to dismiss special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment based on presidential immunity. The justices also held in March that Trump could not be removed from Colorado’s 2024 election ballot.
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