US appeals court upholds Trump verdict in E. Jean Carroll defamation case
A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a jury’s verdict finding Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s—delivering a blow to the president-elect, and leaving him on the hook for the $5 million payout ordered by the jury.
A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said Monday in an unsigned opinion that Trump had failed to demonstrate "that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings" and "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."
The decision comes after a New York jury last year found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll, a former Elle magazine advice columnist, in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s—and for subsequently defaming her when she came forward with her story during his first term in office.
In a separate case, Trump was also ordered by a jury to pay Carroll more than $80 million in damages for the defamatory statements made in his first term in the White House, though the president-elect’s appeal of that decision is still pending.
The decision was praised by Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan.
"Both E. Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today's decision," Kaplan said in a statement. "We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties' arguments."
The Trump transition team were quick to respond to the decision Monday, which they vowed to appeal. They also took aim at what they described as the "political weaponization" of the courts.
"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 transition spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News in a statement Monday.
"We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again," Cheung added.
This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.