Trump appeals verdict finding him liable for sexual assault
The appeal was widely expected, as the former president’s attorneys said they planned to contest the verdict.
Former President Donald Trump is appealing a jury’s verdict finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, two days after the nine-person jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $5 million in damages.
Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the dressing room of a department store in the 1990s. She sued Trump for battery and defamation.
Trump’s appeal was widely expected, as the former president’s attorneys said they planned to contest the verdict shortly after it was delivered.
The appeal comes as Carroll is weighing more legal action against the GOP presidential candidate, according to a New York Times report, after he continued to vilify the former advice columnist during a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening.
During the live event, Trump joked about Carroll’s claims, calling it a “fake” story.
“It’s just stupid, it’s just disgusting, vile, foul, it wounds people,” Carroll told the New York Times in an interview.
It would be Carroll’s third lawsuit against Trump. In addition to the case decided Tuesday, Carroll is awaiting trial in another lawsuit against the president, also for defamation. A trial has been delayed in that case, as courts weigh whether Trump can be sued in his personal capacity over comments he made while president.