(NewsNation) — A federal appeals court upheld a $83.3 million jury award against President Donald Trump for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll after Trump publicly denied sexually assaulting her in the 1990s.
In 2023, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the mid-1990s. A federal judge determined that his repeated denial of the claims during his first presidency was false and defamatory, leading to a judgment in 2024, which awarded Carroll the eight-figure sum.
In the appeal, Trump’s legal team argued that the damages awarded are excessive and that the president is entitled to presidential immunity.
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“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,” the appeals panel of judges wrote.
This is the second time Carroll has won damages from Trump. In June, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a separate $5 million verdict against the president for defamation and sexual assault. Trump’s legal team is preparing to take the ruling to the Supreme Court.
“The American people are supporting President Trump in historic numbers, and they demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts,” Trump’s legal team said in a statement.
