Trump loses appeal in E. Jean Carroll case, $5M verdict upheld

A US federal appeals court on Friday rejected President Donald Trump's request for a full rehearing in a civil case filed by writer E. Jean Carroll, upholding a $5 million jury verdict that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

The decision by the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals left intact a 2023 ruling by a New York jury, which found Trump responsible for attacking Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s and later defaming her in public statements.

Trump, 78, had sought a review by the full 13-judge panel after a three-judge subset upheld the verdict earlier this year. The court did not provide a reason for the rejection. Two Trump-appointed judges, Steven Menashi and Michael Park, dissented, saying the outcome "sanctioned striking departures from precedent," according to BBC.

Carroll, now 81, first went public with the allegations in 2019 and filed the lawsuit under New York's Adult Survivors Act. In a 2022 post on Truth Social, Trump denied the claims, calling them a "hoax" and stating Carroll was "not my type."

He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and may now petition the US Supreme Court as a final legal step.

Following the court's decision, Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan told US media her client was satisfied with the result.

"Although President Trump continues to try every possible maneuver to challenge the findings of two separate juries, those efforts have failed. He remains liable for sexual assault and defamation," Kaplan said.

Trump is separately appealing an $83.3 million defamation award issued to Carroll in a second trial in 2024, related to additional public comments he made about her.

Trump's legal team has not yet issued a statement, according to BBC.