NEW YORK — A significant ruling came down on Monday as a federal appeals court upheld a jury’s finding in a civil case, affirming that Donald Trump sexually assaulted columnist E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room during the mid-1990s.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals validated the Manhattan jury’s decision to award Carroll $5 million in damages related to defamation and sexual abuse.
During the 2023 trial, Carroll, a seasoned writer, shared her account of what began as a friendly interaction with Trump in the spring of 1996, which quickly escalated into a violent encounter once they entered the dressing room together.
Trump was absent from the trial and has consistently denied that the event took place. However, he gave a brief testimony in a separate defamation trial earlier this year that ended with a staggering $83.3 million verdict against him, triggered by comments he made in 2019 after Carroll publicly accused him in her memoir.
In its ruling, a three-judge panel from the appeals court rejected claims from Trump’s legal representatives that trial Judge Lewis A. Kaplan had issued several rulings that compromised trial fairness. This included allowing testimony from two other women who alleged sexual abuse by Trump.
The judge also permitted the jury to view the notorious “Access Hollywood” tape, where Trump boasted about being able to touch women without their consent due to his celebrity status.
The 2nd Circuit concluded, “We find that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court made any erroneous decisions concerning the claims raised. Additionally, he has not shown that any alleged errors significantly impacted his rights, which would warrant a new trial.”
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In September, both Carroll, 81, and Trump, 78, were present for the oral arguments presented at the 2nd Circuit.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, released a statement claiming that Trump was elected with a strong mandate from the public, who he argued are eager to see an end to what he labeled as the political manipulation of the justice system, referring to the case as a “Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax” that would continue to be appealed.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, expressed her satisfaction with the ruling, saying, “We are both pleased with the outcome today. We appreciate the thorough review by the Second Circuit of the arguments made.”
In May 2023, the initial jury found that Trump had sexually abused Carroll and defamed her through statements made in October 2022, resulting in a $5 million award for Carroll.
In January, another jury awarded Carroll an additional $83.3 million due to Trump’s comments made while he was in office, which were ruled defamatory. This jury was instructed to accept the previous jury’s finding that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll, and the appeal of that verdict remains pending.
Throughout both trials, Carroll testified that Trump’s public statements profoundly affected her life as a columnist for Elle magazine, leading to threats against her and an overwhelming fear of stepping outside her home in upstate New York.
During the second trial, Trump managed to testify for under three minutes and was not permitted to contest the May 2023 jury’s findings. Nevertheless, he remained visibly engaged during the two-week trial, often heard muttering about the proceedings.
In September, during the appeal arguments, Trump’s attorney D. John Sauer argued that witness testimonies, including Carroll discussing the incident with others shortly after it occurred, were inappropriate due to perceived biases against Trump.
Sauer also contended that testimonies from two women alleging similar sexual misconduct by Trump in the 1970s and 2005 should have been excluded, as Trump has denied those allegations as well.
The 2nd Circuit noted, “In each of the three incidents, Mr. Trump initiated a casual conversation with women he barely knew, only to suddenly escalate to unwanted kissing and touching in semi-public spaces. These actions are sufficiently similar to establish a pattern.”
Furthermore, the court emphasized that the “Access Hollywood” tape served as direct corroboration of the women’s testimonies regarding the pattern of behavior they experienced.
The Associated Press generally refrains from disclosing the identities of individuals alleging sexual assault unless they have come forward publicly, as E. Jean Carroll has done.
