December 30th 2024.
A jury found that Donald Trump sexually abused a columnist in the mid-1990s and a federal appeals court has now upheld this decision in a civil case. The Second US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a written opinion on Monday, reaffirming the $US5 million award granted to E Jean Carroll for defamation and sexual abuse. Carroll, a longtime magazine columnist, had testified in a 2023 trial that Trump had turned a friendly encounter into a violent attack in the dressing room of an upscale department store in spring of 1996.
Trump chose not to attend the trial and has continuously denied the attack ever took place. However, he did briefly testify in a follow-up defamation trial earlier this year, resulting in an $US83.3 million award. This second trial was a result of comments Trump made in 2019 after Carroll first publicly accused him of the assault in a memoir.
In its ruling, a three-judge panel of the appeals court dismissed claims made by Trump's lawyers that the trial judge, Lewis A Kaplan, had made several decisions that tainted the trial. This included his allowance of two other women who had accused Trump of sexual abuse to testify. The judge also allowed the jury to view the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump boasted about being able to do anything to women because of his celebrity status.
"We conclude that Mr Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings," the 2nd Circuit stated. "Further, he has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial."
Both Carroll, 81, and Trump, 78, attended oral arguments by the Second Circuit in September. In a statement, Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, said that the former president was elected by voters who demand an end to the "political weaponization" of the justice system and a dismissal of all "witch hunts", including the "Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax", which will continue to be appealed.
On the other hand, Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, who is not related to the judge, expressed gratitude for the appeals court's decision in a statement, saying, "Both E Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today's decision. We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties' arguments."
The first jury found in May 2023 that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll and defamed her with comments made in October 2022, awarding her $US5 million in damages. In January, a second jury granted Carroll an additional $US83.3 million in damages for Trump's defamatory comments while he was president. This jury had been instructed by the judge to accept the first jury's finding that Trump had committed sexual abuse against Carroll. Although Trump was not allowed to challenge this conclusion, he was still present in the courtroom throughout the two-week trial and could be heard grumbling about the case.
In conclusion, the appeals court's decision has upheld the initial jury's finding that Donald Trump sexually abused a columnist and defamed her. The former president's spokesperson has stated that they will continue to appeal the decision, while Carroll and her lawyer are grateful for the court's careful consideration of their arguments. This case has been ongoing for several years now and has resulted in millions of dollars in damages awarded to Carroll.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
