Appeals Court Upholds Trump's $83 Million Defamation Judgment to E. Jean Carroll

A federal appeals court has declined to reconsider an appeal by former President Donald Trump in the defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll. This decision upholds the previous judgment, which ordered Trump to pay eighty-three million dollars in damages to Carroll. The denial of the rehearing request from the full bench of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals signifies a significant setback for Trump's legal efforts to overturn the substantial financial penalty.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York issued its ruling without further comment, effectively letting stand the prior decision by a three-judge panel of the same court. That panel had previously rejected Trump’s initial appeal, concluding that the trial court's proceedings were conducted appropriately and the jury's verdict was sound. Trump had sought a rehearing of the case "en banc," meaning a review by all active judges of the Second Circuit, a rare procedure typically reserved for cases with exceptional legal significance or to resolve conflicting panel decisions. His legal team had argued that there were errors in the trial and the subsequent panel review that warranted a broader reconsideration.

The defamation suit stemmed from statements Trump made about Carroll in June 2019, after she publicly accused him of sexual assault in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump vehemently denied Carroll’s allegation, asserting that she fabricated the story and that he did not know her. These denials, which Carroll contended damaged her reputation and career, formed the basis of her defamation claim. A jury in a separate civil trial found Trump liable for defamation and ordered him to pay the substantial sum to Carroll, comprising $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages, reflecting the jury's finding of malice and a need to deter similar conduct.

This latest court action means the eighty-three million dollar judgment against the former president remains in place, pending any further appeals to the Supreme Court, which typically only takes a small fraction of cases presented to it. Trump’s legal team has consistently challenged the verdict and the amount awarded, characterizing it as excessive and politically motivated. The court’s refusal to rehear the appeal represents another definitive step in the ongoing legal process, narrowing Trump's immediate avenues for relief and solidifying the financial obligation. The decision underscores the judiciary's consistent affirmation of the original jury's findings and the subsequent legal reviews.