On Monday, a federal appeals court in New York upheld the $83.3 million judgment imposed on President Donald Trump for defaming former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll in 2019, rejecting Trump’s claims of presidential immunity.
Monday’s ruling, meanwhile, upholds the jury’s verdict in Carroll’s second trial, which brought defamation claims against Trump for publicly denying the columnist’s story after she went public during the president’s first White House term. The jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million.
On appeal, Trump’s lawyers argued the award is excessive, Trump is entitled to presidential immunity and the trial judge improperly struck portions of Trump’s brief testimony before the jurors.
“We hold that the district court did not err in any of the challenged rulings and that the jury’s duly rendered damages awards were reasonable in light of the extraordinary and egregious facts of this case,” the appeals panel wrote in its unsigned decision.
The panel handed Trump a loss in June by declining to allow his Justice Department to step in for him and try to toss the case.
“The American People are supporting President Trump in historic numbers, and they demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoaxes, the defense of which the Attorney General has determined is legally required to be taken over by the Department of Justice because Carroll based her false claims on the President’s official acts, including statements from the White House,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said in a statement.
“President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he is focusing on his mission to Make America Great Again,” the statement continued.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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Damn district courts