A federal appeals court on Monday upheld an $83.3 million defamation judgment against President Donald Trump, rejecting his claims of presidential immunity.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a jury’s verdict, which awarded writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million after finding Trump liable for sexual assault, but hadn't committed rape under New York law.
"We hold that the district court did not err in any of the challenged rulings and that the jury's duly rendered damages awards were reasonable in light of the extraordinary and egregious facts of this case. For the reasons set forth above, we AFFIRM the district court's judgment," the court concluded.
Carroll, a longtime advice columnist for Elle, alleged that Trump assaulted her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996. A separate jury last year found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her in 2022, awarding her $5 million in damages, a decision the appeals court also upheld
Trump repeatedly denied the encounter with Carroll took place, claiming she was not his type.
