E Jean Carroll – Crushing Blow: Trump’s $83M Appeal Fails

Crushing Blow: Trump’s $83M E. Jean Carroll Appeal Fails

In a significant legal defeat, a federal appeals court has decisively rejected former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a staggering $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll. This ruling marks a pivotal moment in the long-running legal battle between the two.

The Core of the Ruling

On Monday, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit unanimously upheld the jury verdict from earlier this year. The judges found no merit in Trump’s arguments, which claimed the judgment was excessive and that a recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity should invalidate it.

The case stems from Trump’s repeated denials of Carroll’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. A jury, after hearing the evidence in a separate but related trial in spring 2023, found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

Trump’s Immunity Defense Dismantled

A central pillar of Trump’s appeal was the July 2024 Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. United States, which granted former presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution for “official acts.” Trump’s legal team argued that this decision should be considered an “intervening change of law” that nullified the appeals court’s prior rejection of his immunity claims in the Carroll case.

The Second Circuit panel, comprised of two judges appointed by President Joe Biden and one by President Barack Obama, was unequivocal in its dismissal of this argument.

“We are not persuaded,” the judges wrote in their decision. They held that Trump “has failed to identify any grounds that would warrant reconsidering our prior holding on presidential immunity.” The court further stated that the lower court “did not err in any of the challenged rulings and that the jury’s damages awards are fair and reasonable.”

This finding underscores the legal principle that Trump’s public, post-presidency comments about Carroll—made in 2022—were clearly unofficial, personal acts and not protected under any conceivable definition of presidential duty.

A One-Two Legal Punch

This appeal rejection is just one front in Trump’s legal war with Carroll. It specifically concerns the $83.3 million judgment from the defamation case known as Carroll II.

However, Trump’s lawyers have also signaled they will soon ask the Supreme Court to review a previous verdict from Carroll I, a separate civil case in which a jury awarded Carroll $5 million after finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Both cases are rooted in Trump’s vehement denials of Carroll’s account, which he continues to reject.

What Comes Next?

With this appellate path closed, Trump’s options are narrowing. He can request that the entire Second Circuit court review the panel’s decision (a hearing en banc), or he can follow through on his threat to appeal this specific verdict to the U.S. Supreme Court. Either process would likely require him to post a bond for the full amount of the judgment plus interest, which would be a massive financial undertaking, even as he contests the ruling.

The White House referred requests for comment to Trump’s personal lawyers, who did not immediately respond to the latest ruling. E. Jean Carroll’s legal team, led by attorney Roberta Kaplan, has hailed the decision as a vindication of their client’s courage and a reaffirmation that no one is above the law.

This ruling delivers a powerful message that defamatory statements, even from a former president, carry severe consequences. It represents a monumental victory for E. Jean Carroll and a resounding validation of the civil justice system’s ability to hold powerful figures accountable.