Donald Trump has lost his appeal against a sentence of sexual abuse and defamation against E. Jean Carroll, the woman who accused him of attacking her in a lingerie fitting room. The president-elect of the United States has suffered a significant legal setback. An appeals court on Monday rejected his attempt to overturn a ruling that requires him to pay $5 million to the woman he sexually abused. The sentence establishes that Trump sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and later defamed her. The ruling has been confirmed by the Court of Appeals.
“Grabbing women by the genitals”
Trump’s lawyers had requested a new trial, arguing that the trial court made errors by allowing testimony from two women who alleged they were sexually assaulted by Trump on other occasions. They also criticized the decision to admit the recording of the controversial “Access Hollywood” conversation, where Trump claimed he could “grab women by the genitals.” A three-judge panel, composed of Denny Chin, Susan Carney and Myrna Pérez, rejected the former president’s arguments. “Mr. Trump has not shown that the district court erred in any of the challenged decisions.” Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, welcomed the decision and said in a statement: “Both E. Jean Carroll and I are pleased with the ruling.” On the other hand, Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign spokesman and next White House communications director, describes the sentence as part of a “witch hunt.” In a statement, he says voters have given Trump an “overwhelming mandate” and demanded “an immediate end to the politicization of the judicial system.”
The background of the case
The initial trial focused on allegations by Carroll, who testified that in the 1990s he met Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store in New York. According to Carroll, Trump convinced her to help him pick out a gift for a friend, which led them both to the lingerie section. There, Carroll said, Trump pushed her into a changing room, closed the door and sexually assaulted her. Carroll kept the incident secret for decades, first revealing it in a book published in 2019. During the trial, a jury of six men and three women concluded that Trump sexually abused Carroll, although they did not find enough evidence to consider that he It was rape under the New York State legal definition. In addition to the abuse, the jury found that Trump defamed Carroll by posting on his Truth Social platform in 2022 that the allegations were “a complete hoax” and a “lie.” For these charges, Trump was ordered to pay $5 million in damages.
This Monday’s ruling comes at a critical moment for Trump, who despite the victory in the elections and the fact that he will be the president of the United States in 20 days, faces a series of legal challenges as he prepares to arrive again to the White House. This month, he accused a jury of misconduct in a criminal case in Manhattan that convicted him of 34 crimes. Trump also reached an agreement with ABC News to resolve a defamation lawsuit, in which the network agrees to pay him $15 million.
A second millionaire sentence
This year, Trump was convicted again of defaming Carroll in 2019, after she went public with her rape allegations. On that occasion, a Manhattan jury ordered him to pay more than 83 million for the damages caused. The ruling stressed that the high damages were necessary to prevent Trump from continuing to discredit Carroll, something his legal team argued was an attack on his freedom of speech. Despite the sentences, Trump has maintained a defiant stance. Last week, he shared a post on Truth Social that asked, “Should a woman go to jail for falsely accusing a man of rape?”, accompanied by images of Carroll and himself. The former president has continued to use social media to reinforce his argument that he is the victim of a “witch hunt” and has promised to appeal the most recent decision. This case highlights the complex legal challenges Trump faces as his second term approaches. With multiple ongoing lawsuits and rulings against him, his ability to govern without legal distractions will be tested. Meanwhile, for E. Jean Carroll, the court’s decision represents a significant victory in her quest for justice and a validation of her claims after years of silence.
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