The 2nd Circuit Appeals Court on Monday rejected an appeal by President-elect Donald Trump that held him liable for allegedly sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll in a New York department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and then defaming her in 2022 by denying the claims.
“Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,” wrote the 3-judge panel in an unsigned opinion.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung responded to the ruling by saying, the “American People have re-elected President Trump” and have demanded the “swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax, which will continue to be appealed.”
Trump's lawyers argued in the appeal that testimony from other women who claimed sexual misconduct by Trump should not have been admitted, and that the Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump claimed to have groped women without their consent should not have been allowed either.
Many courts would consider that evidence to be prejudicial, but that doesn't seem to be an issue for courts that are going after Trump to smear, attack, and punish him for being a successful politician.
Trump has said the allegations against him were politically motivated and denied them repeatedly.
In order to get a new trial in the case, Trump will have to continue his appeal before the full Circuit Court or the Supreme Court.
It's not a great look for the once and future president, but people had every chance to know about the case before November and elected Trump anyway.
In other news, Trump got a win in his defamation case against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos.
The outlet decided to settle with Trump for $15 million after Stephanopoulos said on-air that Trump "raped" Carroll. The courts did not find that he raped her.
ABC News also apologized to Trump and paid $1 million of his legal fees for the suit.
None of the criminal cases against Trump are going anywhere for the next four years while he is president, but the civil cases can still continue, apparently.
A $500 million civil verdict against him is in the hands of an appeals court, and a ruling on the appeal could come soon.
A mjaority of Trump's supporters seem to believe that all litigation against him is politically motivated, so the failure of any appeals will likely only hit his hefty pocketbook, not his reputation.
