U.S. appeals court upholds Trump verdict in E. Jean Carroll defamation case

A federal appeals court has upheld a jury’s verdict finding former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s. The court’s decision leaves Trump responsible for the $5 million payout ordered by the jury.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an unsigned opinion on Monday, stating that Trump did not demonstrate any errors in the district court’s rulings that would warrant a new trial. The three-judge panel concluded that Trump failed to show that any errors affected his substantial rights.

The case stems from Carroll’s allegations that Trump sexually abused her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s. Trump denied the allegations and subsequently defamed Carroll when she came forward with her story during his first term in office.

In addition to the sexual abuse verdict, Trump was also ordered by a jury to pay Carroll over $80 million in damages for the defamatory statements made during his presidency. The president-elect’s appeal of that decision is still pending.

Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, praised the appeals court’s decision, stating, “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 Trump transition team responded to the decision by vowing to appeal and criticizing what they called the “political weaponization” of the courts. Steven Cheung, Trump’s incoming White House communications director, called for an end to the “Witch Hunts” and expressed eagerness to unite the country in the new administration.

As this story continues to develop, stay tuned for updates on this breaking news.

Breanne Deppisch, a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and national news, contributed to this article.