Federal court upholds $5 million verdict against Donald Trump

A federal appeals court upheld a $5 million verdict against Donald Trump in E. Jean Carroll’s civil case. The verdict is based on accusations Carroll made that Trump sexually abused and defamed her.

Case story

E. Jean Carroll, a magazine columnist, alleged that Trump sexually abused her in the dressing room of a New York department store in the mid-1990s. In May 2023, a Manhattan jury held Trump responsible for sexual assault and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million in compensation. This includes $2.02 million for sexual assault and $2.98 million for Trump’s 2022 social media posts in which he called Carroll’s allegations a “hoax.”

$5 million verdict against Donald Trump Court decision

On December 30, 2024, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s appeal for a new trial in a written opinion. The court said that evidence presented during the trial, such as the testimony of other women against Trump and the infamous Access Hollywood tape, was properly admitted. In these tapes, Trump was heard boasting about misbehavior with women.

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