E Jean Carroll’s Defamation Appeal Rejected by Federal Appeals Court
NEW YORK — In a 5W1H report from the Manhattan Federal Courthouse, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has definitively rejected an appeal filed by former President Donald Trump concerning the defamation judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll.
What transpired was a unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel, which affirmed the lower court’s decision that Trump defamed Carroll in June 2019. The court determined that the statements Trump made denying Carroll’s rape allegation, while serving as president, were not protected by absolute presidential immunity. The panel further found that the jury’s award of $83.3 million in damages to Carroll was appropriate and based on substantial evidence.
The proceedings centered on Carroll, an advice columnist who accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump, the defendant, repeatedly called her claims a “hoax” and a “scam” on social media and in official statements. The appeals court panel, consisting of Judges Denny Chin, William J. Nardini, and Maria Araujo Kahn, issued a 77-page opinion rejecting each of Trump’s legal arguments, including his assertion that the verdict was excessive.
The timeline of events saw the initial verdict delivered by a jury in January 2024. Trump’s legal team filed the appeal shortly thereafter, arguing the judge made prejudicial evidentiary rulings and that Carroll’s legal team improperly introduced evidence of other sexual misconduct allegations against Trump. The current appeal was denied today, with the court stating there is no error in the district court’s handling of the case. The ruling is final for this stage of litigation, though further appeals, including to the Supreme Court, are legally possible.
Authoritative legal analysts confirm that this decision solidifies Carroll’s victory, leaving her entitled to the full financial award.