Donald Trump has formally appealed the $5 million defamation verdict handed down by a New York jury earlier this year, a move his legal team insists is a routine challenge to a flawed ruling. But for E. Jean Carroll, the writer who accused the former president of rape and won the landmark civil case, the appeal is another delay in a battle she has waged for decades.
In an exclusive interview with British press, Carroll said: ‘It’s time for him to pay. The jury believed me. The evidence was clear. He can appeal all he wants, but the truth is the truth.’ Carroll’s lawyers have vowed to fight the appeal, which was filed late on Friday in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeal argues that the trial judge, Lewis Kaplan, made several errors, including allowing testimony about Trump’s past sexual misconduct and limiting the former president’s ability to defend himself.
Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, said in a statement: ‘This verdict cannot stand. It is a travesty of justice that a sitting president can be subjected to a politically motivated lawsuit. We are confident the appellate court will see the errors and reverse.’ Carroll’s legal team, however, has dismissed the appeal as a ‘stall tactic’ and notes that Trump has yet to post the required bond to secure the judgment.
The case stems from a 2019 lawsuit in which Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump denied the allegations and called Carroll a liar, prompting a defamation claim. In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $2 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages. The jury did not find Trump liable for rape under New York law, but the verdict was widely seen as a victory for Carroll and #MeToo advocates.
Trump has also denied any wrongdoing in a separate defamation case brought by Carroll, which is set for trial in January 2024. That case involves comments Trump made while in office in 2019, and the judge has already ruled that Trump’s statements were defamatory, leaving only damages to be determined.
Sources close to the case say the appeal could take months, if not years, to resolve. Meanwhile, Carroll remains determined. ‘I am not going away,’ she said. ‘This is not about money. This is about accountability. And eventually, the law will catch up with him.’
The appeal is the latest legal headache for Trump, who faces multiple criminal indictments and civil lawsuits. In New York, he is also battling a $250 million fraud case brought by the state attorney general. For Carroll, the appeal is just another chapter in a long fight. ‘I’ve waited long enough,’ she told British press. ‘It’s time for him to pay.’
