NEW YORK: A federal appeals court on Monday upheld an $83.3 million jury award against former US President Donald Trump for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll in 2019 after she accused him of rape.
The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected Trump’s bid to overturn the January 2024 verdict, ruling that he was not entitled to presidential immunity in Carroll’s lawsuit.
The decision follows a June ruling from the same court that upheld a separate $5 million jury award in Carroll’s earlier case, which found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation but not rape.
The combined judgments add to the series of legal challenges Trump has faced since leaving office in 2021. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly cast the lawsuits as politically motivated attempts to damage his 2024 presidential campaign.
