Washington DC [US], December 31 : A US Appeals Court on Monday (local time) upheld the jury's verdict of USD 5 million against President-elect Donald Trump for sexually abusing writer E Jean Carroll in 1996 and denied a retrial, CNN reported.
According to the report, Trump had challenged the verdict, alleging that the judge made errors, including allowing the testimony of two other women who had also accused Trump of assaulting them.
The appeals court ruled that, given the strength of Carroll's case, even if the trial judge made errors, Trump's rights were not affected to warrant a new trial, the CNN report stated.
Earlier, Carroll had alleged that Trump 'raped' her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in 1996. He later denied her claim, defamed her by saying she wasn't his type, and suggested she fabricated the story to boost sales of her book. Trump denied all wrongdoing and does not face jail time as a result of the civil verdict.
"Both E Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today's decision. We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties' arguments," said Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney, CNN reported.
Trump has also appealed the verdict of another jury that awarded Carroll USD 83.3 million after finding Trump defamed her by denying the sexual abuse.
Under the "New York State Adult Survivors Act," a state law that established a look-back window for sexual assault claims like Carroll's with long-expired statutes of limitations, Carroll filed the complaint last November, CNN reported.
Trump's top spokesman and incoming White House communications director, Steven Cheung, said more appeals are forthcoming.
"The American people have re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate, 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 Hoax, which will continue to be appealed. We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again," Cheung said.
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