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A federal appeals court has upheld a $5 million verdict against President-elect Donald Trump for sexually assaulting and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The decision, made by a three-judge panel at the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, rejected Trump's request for a new trial. The court found that evidence, including testimony from other accusers and the infamous Access Hollywood tape, was properly admitted.
The verdict, reached in May 2023, found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996 and defaming her in an October 2022 social media post. The jury awarded $2.02 million for sexual assault and $2.98 million for defamation. Testimony from two other women, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, supported Carroll's allegations by establishing a pattern of conduct consistent with Trump's past behavior.
Despite Trump's denial of all allegations, the case is expected to continue even after he assumes office on January 20, 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that sitting presidents have no immunity from civil litigation over actions predating their official duties.