Donald Trump was convicted in a civil sexual abuse case. What does that mean?
A jury finds Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse in the E. Jean Carroll civil suit. Let’s consider what this ruling means for President Trump’s political future.
FAQ only, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is making a final challenge to revoke the $5 million jury award he was ordered to pay in 2023 for sexual abuse and defamation of author E. Jean Carroll.
President Trump is asking the Supreme Court to reconsider the verdict upheld by the appeals court, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said on November 11.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team reiterated their claim that the incident was part of a Democratic witch hunt against the president and part of “liberal legislation” against him.
What is President Trump arguing in his Supreme Court appeal?
The 314-page filing alleges that Carroll waited more than 20 years after Trump took office to file charges. The complaint also alleges that the allegations match the plot of her favorite TV show, “Law & Order.”
“President Trump has clearly and consistently denied that this supposed incident actually occurred. There is no physical or DNA evidence to support Carroll’s story,” the filing states. “There were no witnesses, no video evidence, no police report or investigation.”
What have federal appeals courts previously ruled?
The appeals court rejected Trump’s argument that the trial judge made procedural errors, ruling that Trump “has not met his burden of showing that the alleged error, or combination of alleged errors, affected his substantive rights as required to justify a new trial.”
“Furthermore, he has not carried the burden of showing that the alleged error, or combination of alleged errors, affected his substantive rights as required to warrant a new trial.”
In September, a separate panel of judges from the New York-based 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an $83.3 million jury award against Trump over his statements challenging the truth of Carroll’s claims.
The appeals court upheld a jury’s decision that Trump would not stop defaming Carroll unless he was fined a hefty financial penalty.
The court also rejected Trump’s argument that he could not be sued because of a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that said presidents have at least a presumption of presumed immunity for acts of official conduct while in office.
What did E. Jean Carroll allege in the lawsuit?
Carroll said in 2019 that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York City department store in 1996, but Trump fired back, accusing her of making up the story to sell a book.
Carroll sued him a few months later and won an $83.3 million judgment.
Trump reiterated the denial in a social media post in 2022, when he was not yet president and the first lawsuit was underway. Carroll then sued Trump again under the special period granted to sexual abuse victims by New York City, and in 2023, a jury found Trump responsible for sexually abusing Carroll. This resulted in a $5 million judgment.
