Court Upholds $83.3 Million Verdict Against Trump

A federal appeals court has upheld a civil jury's decision requiring Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll. The court found Trump's repeated social media attacks against Carroll, who accused him of sexual assault, justified the defamation award. Trump's appeal was rejected.

A federal appeals court has upheld a civil jury's verdict requiring Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll. The longtime advice columnist had accused Trump of sexual assault, prompting repeated social media attacks from the former president.

In a ruling issued Monday, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump's appeal, determining that the jury's damages were fair and reasonable. The defamation award was tied to Trump's repeated denials and attacks following the accusation, which Carroll claims stemmed from an incident in a department store in the 1990s.

This judgment follows a separate jury verdict in 2023, which awarded Carroll $5 million for sexual assault and defamation. Trump's legal team had sought a new trial, which the appeals court has now dismissed.