A federal appeals court has upheld a $5 million civil jury verdict against Donald Trump, affirming that the former president was liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
The ruling, issued Monday by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in Manhattan, rejected Trump’s appeal, stating that he had failed to demonstrate that the lower court had erred in any of its rulings during the trial.
In May 2023, a jury found that Carroll had convincingly proven that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s in a dressing room at Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman department store.
“The finding that Ms. Carroll failed to prove that she was ‘raped’ within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape,’ ” Kaplan wrote. “Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.”
“The jury’s finding of sexual abuse therefore necessarily implies that it found that Mr. Trump forcibly penetrated her vagina,” Kaplan wrote, calling it the “only remaining conclusion.”
“Mr. Trump’s attempt to minimize the sexual abuse finding as perhaps resting on nothing more than groping of Ms. Carroll’s breasts through her clothing is frivolous,” Kaplan wrote.
He added that the jury clearly found that Trump had “ ‘raped’ her in the sense of that term broader than the New York Penal Law definition.”
The jury also determined that Trump defamed Carroll in 2022 through social media posts, following her public accusation of sexual assault. The $5 million award was granted as compensation for both the defamation and the alleged abuse.
Trump’s legal team had appealed the decision, claiming that Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who presided over the trial, made improper evidentiary rulings.
Specifically, Trump’s attorneys argued that Kaplan wrongly allowed jurors to hear the infamous “Access Hollywood” recording, in which Trump made crude comments about women in 2005.
They also objected to the inclusion of testimony from two other women who had accused Trump of sexual assault.
However, the appeals court ruled that the district court had acted within its discretion by admitting this evidence. “The jury made its assessment of the facts and claims on a properly developed record,” the panel wrote in its decision, reinforcing the legitimacy of the trial proceedings.
In response to the ruling, Trump’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, expressed defiance, stating that the decision would be appealed and calling for the case to be dismissed.
Cheung added that Trump’s supporters, who had re-elected him in 2024 despite his legal battles, “demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system.”
E. Jean Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, welcomed the court’s decision, stating, “Both E. Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today’s decision.” Kaplan had represented Carroll throughout the case, which has become one of several legal battles Trump faces related to accusations of sexual misconduct and defamation.
Trump’s legal team may still request an en banc rehearing, meaning a full panel of judges from the 2nd Circuit would review the appeal. Alternatively, they could seek to bring the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, though such a move would depend on whether the Court agrees to take the case.
The legal dispute between Trump and Carroll dates back to 2019 when Carroll first publicly accused Trump of sexual assault in a 2019 excerpt from her memoir.
Trump, who was president at the time, denied the allegations, dismissing Carroll as a “liar” and suggesting that he could not have assaulted her because he found her unattractive.
In a separate trial, New York jurors also found that Trump had defamed Carroll in a 2022 social media post, resulting in a more than $83 million judgment against him.
These cases form part of an ongoing legal saga that continues to unfold, further complicating Trump’s public and political standing.
Despite his criminal convictions, pending indictments, and numerous civil cases—including allegations of rape, defamation, and fraudulent business practices—Trump was re-elected president in 2024.
His victory came despite the mounting legal challenges, signaling continued support from a significant portion of the electorate. Trump’s ability to secure a second term, amid ongoing legal battles, remains a defining feature of his contentious and polarizing political career.
As the legal process continues, Trump faces the possibility of further legal consequences, which could impact his presidency, though his political and legal future remains uncertain as he navigates these complex and high-profile cases.