NEW YORK: A federal appeals court has upheld a jury’s decision requiring President-elect Donald Trump to pay $5 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation.
In a civil trial held last year, a New York jury found that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll in a department store in Manhattan back in 1996. As a result, he was ordered to pay $2 million for the abuse and an additional $3 million for defaming Carroll, who is known for her previous work as an advice columnist for Elle magazine.
Trump has consistently denied the allegations and sought to challenge the jury’s verdict. He argued that testimony from two other women, who accused him of sexual assault, should not have been permitted during the trial. However, the three-judge panel of the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against him, stating that he did not prove any errors that would justify a new trial.
Furthermore, Carroll previously won $83 million in a separate case against Trump, which he is also appealing.
In addition to these legal troubles, Trump faced two federal cases concerning the mishandling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. However, these cases were dropped after he won the presidential election on November 5 due to a Justice Department policy that limits prosecution of a sitting president.
Earlier this year, Trump was convicted in New York on 34 counts related to falsifying business records to conceal a payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Judge Juan Merchan has recently rejected Trump’s request to dismiss this conviction but has yet to determine a timeline for sentencing.
