A federal appeals court in New York upheld a civil judgment directing President Trump to pay $83.3 million to former magazine writer E. Jean Carroll.
“We conclude that Trump has failed to identify any grounds that would warrant reconsidering our prior holding on presidential immunity. We also conclude that the district court did not err in any of the challenged rulings and that the jury’s damages awards are fair and reasonable,” the judges wrote, adding, “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.”
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said in a statement to The Hill that Americans “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, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoaxes, the defense of which the Attorney General has determined is legally required to be taken over by the Department of Justice because Carroll based her false claims on the President’s official acts, including statements from the White House.”
“President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he is focusing on his mission to Make America Great Again,” the spokesperson said.
Trump was ordered to pay $5 million in 2023 after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing Carroll. In a separate trial, Carroll was awarded another $83.3 million in damages.
Trump made a counterclaim in 2023 that alleged Carroll knew her statements were “false” and were made with “reckless disregard for their truth or falsity.”
“Counterclaim Defendant made these false statements with actual malice and ill will with an intent to significantly and spitefully harm and attack Counterclaimant’s reputation, as these false statements were clearly contrary to the jury verdict in Carroll II whereby Counterclaimant was found not liable for rape by the jury,” the counter-lawsuit adds. The counterclaim lawsuit was dismissed.
