Judge Denies Trump’s Request For New Trial In E. Jean Carroll’s Sexual Abuse Case

Manhattan Judge Lewis Kaplan denied Donald Trump’s request for a new trial in E. Jean Carroll’s sexual abuse case, in which Trump was ordered to pay the former columnist $5 million in damages.

The lawsuit took place in 2022 when Carroll stated that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s. Trump denied ever meeting Carroll, prompting her to sue him for defamation on the grounds that he damaged her reputation as a journalist.

Trump was found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation in April, though Carroll still has an open case regarding another instance of defamation in 2019 when he made similar remarks.

Trump claimed that the damages award was excessive since the jury did not find Trump guilty of raping Carroll. However, Kaplan said that the ruling “did not deviate materially from reasonable compensation so as to make it excessive.

“There was ample, arguably overwhelming evidence that Mr. Trump forcibly digitally penetrated Ms. Carroll, thus fully supporting the jury’s sexual abuse finding,” said Kaplan, refuting claims that the former president was wrongly convicted of sexual assault.

After Wednesday’s hearing, Trump filed a notice of appeal of the verdict. Carroll’s lawyer shared a statement outlining their next steps.

“Now that the court has denied Trump’s motion for a new trial or to decrease the amount of the verdict, E. Jean Carroll looks forward to receiving $5 million in damages that the jury awarded her,” she said.

The trial for Carroll’s defamation lawsuit is scheduled to begin on January 15, 2024.

Article by Ava Lombardi