Jury Clears Trump of Rape but Holds Him Responsible for Sexual Assault, Orders $5 Million in Damages to Carroll
A federal appeals court in New York has ruled against Donald Trump, who had tried to overturn a $5 million judgment awarded to E. Jean Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine. The decision came from a three-judge panel at the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, confirming the previous verdict.
The case goes back to an incident in 1996, where Carroll claims Trump sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan.
Trump has repeatedly denied this, calling her allegations false and a hoax. In an October 2022 post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump again dismissed Carroll’s claims, saying he didn’t know her and that she was “not his type.”
In May 2023, a jury reviewed the case and decided Trump was not guilty of rape but was responsible for sexual assault. They ordered him to pay Carroll $2.02 million for the assault and an additional $2.98 million for defaming her character by publicly denying her claims.
This isn’t the only legal battle between Trump and Carroll. In a separate case, a jury in January 2024 ordered Trump to pay her $83.3 million. This judgment was for defamation and reputational harm after Trump, in 2019, denied her claims and accused her of making up the story to sell her book. Trump is currently appealing this much larger judgment.
Trump’s defense has always been consistent. He says he doesn’t know Carroll, claims she is lying, and insists her allegations are politically motivated and meant to damage his reputation. However, both cases have continued, even as other legal challenges against Trump have wrapped up since his return to the presidency.
Carroll’s legal team has maintained that the rulings show accountability for public figures who try to avoid responsibility for their actions. As of now, the $83.3 million defamation appeal remains unresolved, keeping Carroll’s fight for justice ongoing.
