A federal appeals court upheld a jury verdict on Monday requiring President-elect Donald Trump to pay $5 million (£4 million) for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
The New York jury, after a nine-day civil trial, concluded last year that Trump had sexually abused Carroll at a Manhattan department store in 1996. He was ordered to pay $2 million (£1.6 million) for sexual abuse and an additional $3 million (£2.4 million) for defamation.
Trump denied the allegations and appealed, arguing that testimony from two other women who accused him of sexual assault should not have been admitted. However, a three-judge panel of the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his appeal.
“We conclude that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,” the judges stated. “Further, he has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial.”
In a separate case, another jury awarded Carroll $83 million (£66 million), a verdict Trump is also appealing.
Meanwhile, two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith—alleging mishandling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election—have been dropped since Trump’s election victory on November 5. The Justice Department adheres to a policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
Trump’s legal troubles extend to New York, where he was convicted in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Judge Juan Merchan recently denied Trump’s request to overturn the conviction but postponed sentencing indefinitely.