New York: A federal appeals court in Manhattan upheld verdict against president-elect Donald Trump for sexually assaulting the magazine writer E Jean Carroll in about 1996, according to the Guardian.
The three-judge panel at the second US circuit court of appeals upheld the 2023 verdict in which Trump was not found to have committed rape but the president-elect was ordered to pay Carroll$2.02m for sexual assault as well as $2.98m for defamation.
Rejecting Trump’s arguments for a new trial, the court considered the evidence against him including testimony from other accusers.
Also, the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which he was captured to have been boasting that it was normal for him to “grab [women] by the pussy”, landed the Republican leader in trouble.
While $2.02m was for sexual assault, the court ruled $2.98m for defaming Carroll after Trump termed her allegation ‘ hoax’ in social media post.
The testimony from two other women, the businesswoman Jessica Leeds and the former People magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff, accusing Trump of sexual misconduct reportedly helped the court establish ‘a repeated, idiosyncratic pattern of conduct’ that aligned with Carroll’s allegations, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan thanked the second circuit for what she said ‘its careful consideration of the parties’ arguments’, adding that ‘Both E Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today’s decision.’
Trump, denying allegations, claimed that he never met Carroll and it is reported that the case is likely to continue even after Trump takes office on 20 January, 2025.