Now a federal appeals court based in New York has upheld that civil jury’s verdict. This ruling once again finds Donald Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming author E. Jean Carroll. Today’s ruling by the court makes it clear that Trump owes Carroll at least $5 million in damages. This ruling came from a three-judge panel. Most importantly, it upholds the judgment of a prior jury that found Trump culpable for his transgressions almost thirty years ago.
E. Jean Carroll, a former advice columnist and media figure, claimed Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s. Specifically, after she accused him of assaulting her, Trump rebutted her claims, triggering a defamation judgment against him. His public statements made Carroll out to be something that the jury found to be damaging and without merit. The appeals panel unanimously ruled against Trump, stating he “had not demonstrated that the district court” had erred in any of the challenged rulings. The ruling emphasized that “further, he has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial.”
In an unrelated but similar case, a second jury found Trump responsible for defaming Carroll. This ruling was based on statements he issued back in June of 2019. As in that case, he was required to pay Carroll $83.3 million in punitive damages on top of that. The defamatory statements occurred after Trump left office. This was not the case for previous defamatory statements uttered on his watch.
While he lost in court, Trump has declared to appeal both verdicts. This legal fight remains an amazing story that captures the public’s imagination and holds the media’s attention. Folks have been particularly intrigued by what it means for Trump’s political future.
Beyond these legal troubles, Trump has made some big economic promises. Just recently, he threatened to apply a 50% tariff on copper imports, an action which could abrogate important trade agreements in place. He’s hit the headlines with his charge as to how Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been tossing “bulls.”