Former President Donald Trump has been unsuccessful in his latest attempt to overturn a civil jury's decision. The jury found him liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and subsequently defaming her after she made her allegations public.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York rejected Trump's request for a full court rehearing of the case. This decision upholds the December 2024 ruling by a three-judge panel, which affirmed the 2023 jury verdict. The jury had ordered Trump to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.
E. Jean Carroll expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating that despite Trump's ongoing efforts to challenge the findings of two separate juries, his attempts have been unsuccessful. She emphasized that he remains liable for sexual assault and defamation.
The case is one of two civil lawsuits Carroll, now 81, has filed against Trump. Both lawsuits stem from his public denials of her 2019 accusation that he sexually assaulted her in a dressing room in 1996. In October 2022, Trump defamed Carroll on Truth Social by dismissing her claim as a hoax.
Carroll's first lawsuit, concerning Trump's 2019 statements, resulted in an $83.3 million defamation verdict in her favor in January 2024. Trump is also appealing that outcome, with oral arguments scheduled for June 24. The lawsuit at the center of Friday’s ruling was filed in 2022 after New York temporarily lifted its statute of limitations for certain sexual assault claims. It included both defamation and battery claims related to Carroll’s original allegations and Trump’s more recent comments.
Two judges, Steven Menashi and Michael Park, dissented from Friday’s decision, arguing for a reconsideration of the case. Menashi criticized the panel for deviating from precedent and the trial judge for excluding key evidence and admitting "stale witness testimony."
The majority of the appellate court rejected this view. Four judges countered the dissent, stating that the appeal did not meet the requirements for review, which is typically reserved for cases involving significant legal questions or conflicts in appellate precedent. Judges Denny Chin and Susan Carney, who previously ruled against Trump, supported the majority and refuted Menashi’s arguments.
Trump's final recourse to overturn the verdict is the Supreme Court. His team has indicated their intention to appeal to the highest court, although the court is not obligated to hear the case. A spokesperson for Trump described the lawsuit as a "Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax" and stated that the former president would continue to prevail against "Liberal Lawfare.
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