A federal appeals court has upheld a jury's verdict that found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages, as announced on Monday, December 30. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decisive opinion affirming the award that Carroll received after a Manhattan jury found Trump liable for both sexual abuse and defamation.

Carroll, a longtime magazine columnist, testified that her 1996 encounter with Trump in a department store's dressing room escalated into a violent attack. Trump's legal team sought to overturn the verdict, claiming several trial errors, but the appellate court concluded that the jury’s findings were well-supported by the evidence presented during the trial. Trump's absence during the trial was noted, although he later testified briefly at a subsequent defamation trial.

The appeals court dismissed arguments by Trump's lawyers regarding the admissibility of testimony from two women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct. The decision also upheld the inclusion of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, where Trump made controversial remarks about women. In its ruling, the court stated, "Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings."

Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, expressed satisfaction with the ruling, thanking the court for its careful consideration. In response, Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, reiterated claims of a politically motivated judicial process, labeling the verdict as part of a broader "witch hunt."

This recent decision adds to Trump's ongoing legal challenges, with a separate jury having previously ordered him to pay Carroll $83.3 million for defamation related to his public denials of her allegations. The outcomes of both trials illustrate the continuing legal battles that follow Trump, amidst claims of political bias and misuse of the legal system.

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