• Trump appeals an $83 million defamation verdict won by E. Jean Carroll.
• The appeal argues for presidential immunity under the Westfall Act.
• Carroll's lawyers continue to pursue enforcement of the jury's award.
• This case follows a $5 million judgment also awarded to Carroll in a separate trial.
• The Supreme Court's decision on whether to hear the appeal remains pending.

Former President Donald Trump has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn an $83 million defamation judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll. The judgment arises from statements Trump made while in office, which he claims fall under the protections of presidential immunity outlined in the Westfall Act, which shields federal employees from lawsuits for actions conducted within the scope of their federal duties, according to LA Times and CBS News.

Trump's legal team contends that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals failed to determine whether his statements about Carroll, which included calling her a "whack job," should be protected by presidential immunity. This appeal is notable as it invokes a legal precedent that Trump’s lawyers aim to extend, arguing it could also apply in civil cases like Carroll's, despite the Supreme Court's recent focus on criminal conduct, as stated in filings reported by Al Jazeera.

The Justice Department has aligned itself with Trump's appeal, reinforcing the argument that his comments, made in the context of his presidency, ought to be protected. Federal lawyers stated, “Absent this Court’s intervention, the sitting President is facing nearly a hundred million dollars of personal liability for conduct that was well within the scope of his federal office,” highlighting the unique nature of this case, according to LA Times and CBS News.

E. Jean Carroll maintains that Trump defamed her after she accused him of sexual assault in a 1996 incident. Carroll won her first case in January 2024, where the jury awarded her a total of $83 million, consisting largely of punitive damages. In this ongoing saga, the question of whether the Supreme Court will hear Trump's appeal is currently unsettled, as Trump continues to contest both the recent $83 million verdict and a previous judgment of $5 million from 2023, according to Al Jazeera and LA Times.