A US federal appeals court has affirmed a jury verdict requiring President-elect Donald Trump to pay $5 million for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
The verdict, reached after a nine-day civil trial in New York last year, found Trump guilty of sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store in 1996. The jury awarded Carroll $2 million for the abuse and an additional $3 million for defamation after Trump publicly denied her claims.
Trump appealed this ruling and claimed that the testimony of two other women, who accused him of sexual assault, should not be admitted into evidence.
However, the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed his appeal, which stated, "Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings. 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 another case filed by Carroll, the jury has awarded her $83 million in damages. The former also appealed the verdict.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, announced the plan to appeal the $5 million judgment.
In a statement, Cheung accused Democrats of politically targeting Trump, called the case a "hoax," and asserted that the "American people re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate."
Cheung continued her criticism of the judicial system, said that it is politically weaponized and claimed a stop to investigations against Trump.
Special counsel Jack Smith has dismissed two federal cases against Trump, citing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting President. The cases involved allegations of mishandling classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Nonetheless, legal battles are ongoing against him. In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Recent ruling from Judge Juan Merchan did not grant him an appeal to overturn his conviction; however, it has further delayed his sentencing indefinitely.
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