Trump to Appeal $5 Million Verdict in Carroll Sex Abuse Case
Donald Trump's legal team is set to argue for a new trial in a federal appeals court in New York, following a jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages after a two-week trial last year. Trump, who did not attend the trial or call any witnesses, is expected to be present for the oral arguments. His lawyers contend that the trial judge made errors by allowing the jury to hear evidence from two other women who claimed Trump sexually assaulted them.
The case under appeal is distinct from another defamation case that concluded earlier this year, in which a separate jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages. Both cases were overseen by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who ruled that Trump's denial of rape was defamatory. The appeals court, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, is not expected to issue a ruling before November's presidential election. Trump's legal team is also appealing the May 2023 civil verdict related to Carroll's allegations and a 2022 social media post in which Trump called her claims a hoax.
