The federal judge overseeing the E. Jean Carroll defamation case against Donald Trump has upheld the case’s verdict and the subsequent damages awarded. He also denied a motion for a new trial.
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“We categorically disagree with Judge Kaplan’s decision,” said Trump attorney Alina Habba. “It ignores long-standing constitutional principles and is a prime example of the lawfare raging across this country. We are confident that this decision will be overturned by the Second Circuit.”
Judge Lewis Kaplan, who has been at the center of the case since it began, wrote in a decision that “Mr. Trump’s argument is entirely without merit both as a matter of law and as a matter of fact.” His 18-page decision was released on Thursday.
Trump requested the new trial in a March filing that listed grievances about the trial and pretrial decisions, including the exclusion of evidence related to Trump’s “state of mind” when he defamed Carroll.
A longtime advice columnist, Carroll wrote a story in New York magazine in 2019 accusing Trump of sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.
Trump, who was president when the story was published, denied the allegations, calling Carroll a “whack job” and claiming he had never met her.
He claimed in his March filing that the jury couldn’t have reasonably concluded Carroll suffered damages as a result of his comments, because they were made five hours after the story was published. Trump’s attorneys pointed to a trickle of negative feedback Carroll received during that “five-hour gap.” Carroll’s attorneys said she was subject to a sustained deluge of derision and threats after Trump weighed in.
Trump claimed the jury’s findings were based on “‘confusion, speculation or prejudice’ as opposed to the ‘evidence presented at trial.'”
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Kaplan also wrote that massive amount in damages awarded to Carroll “passes constitutional muster.” However, his decision is expected to be appealed.