"Appeals Court Affirms $83M Judgment: Truth, Not Power, Prevails in Carroll v. Trump"

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has upheld a $83.3 million defamation judgment against Donald Trump for his attacks on E. Jean Carroll, a former advice columnist who accused him of sexual assault. The appeals court ruled that the jury's damages awards were "fair and reasonable," rejecting Trump's arguments that the amount was excessive, particularly the $65 million punitive damages portion [1].

The case centers on Trump’s yearslong public statements and social media posts that disparaged Carroll following her 2019 memoir, in which she alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in 1996 at a Manhattan department store. At a 2023 trial, a jury found Trump liable for the abuse but not for rape as defined under New York law. He denied the allegations, calling them fabricated to boost book sales [1].

Carroll’s legal team argued that Trump’s behavior was “extraordinary and egregious,” citing the ongoing harassment she faced, including death threats and the loss of her career at Elle magazine and media appearances. The appeals court echoed this, noting that Trump’s “extraordinary and unprecedented” attacks against her were justified under the law [1].

In a separate damages trial conducted after the initial verdict, a second jury determined that Trump’s statements while in office in 2019 warranted an additional $5 million in compensatory damages. The court held that the judge did not err in preventing Trump from re-litigating the allegations of the assault before the second jury, as that issue had already been resolved in the first trial [1].

The ruling emphasized that Trump persisted in his attacks against Carroll for at least five years, intensifying them as the trial approached. During the damages trial, Trump reportedly stated he would continue to defame her “a thousand times.” The appeals court found that the jury’s findings were reasonable given the “unique and egregious facts” of the case [1].

Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, praised the decision, stating it affirmed her client’s truthfulness and marked a step toward ending the legal ordeal. The appeals ruling, detailed in a 70-page document, leaves the judgment in place, pending any further appeals.

Source:

[1] Appeals court upholds E. Jean Carroll's $83.3 million defamation judgment against Trump (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/appeals-court-upholds-e-jean-carrolls-83-3-million-defamation-judgment-against-trump)