A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a $83.3 million judgment against President Trump for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The ruling stated that Trump failed to identify any grounds warranting reconsideration of his presidential immunity claim and affirmed the district court’s decisions, calling the jury’s damages awards fair and reasonable.
Trump argued the $83.3 million jury award was excessive and invalid, but the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his assertion that he was entitled to presidential immunity when making statements about Carroll. The three-judge panel concluded Trump acted with “reckless disregard for the truth” when labeling Carroll a liar and dismissing her as “not my type.” The court also affirmed the $18.3 million compensatory damages awarded to Carroll, noting she faced widespread online attacks, including death threats, after Trump’s statements reached 85.8 to 104 million people.
The panel further rejected Trump’s claim that the $65 million punitive damage award was grossly excessive. In a separate civil case, Carroll was awarded $5 million. Trump’s legal team indicated plans to seek Supreme Court review of the verdict. The court also dismissed Trump’s argument that a July 2024 Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity undermined prior rulings, stating it was “not persuaded” by his claims.