NEW YORK: A federal appeals court Monday refused to throw out an $83.3 million jury verdict against US President Trump for damaging the reputation of the writer E Jean Carroll in 2019 when he denied her rape claim. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected Trump’s argument that the Jan 2024 verdict should be overturned because he deserved presidential immunity from Carroll’s lawsuit. The 2nd Circuit on June 13 upheld Carroll’s separate $5 million jury verdict against Trump in May 2023. That jury had found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, but not for rape. Both verdicts were among a slew of legal woes Trump faced after leaving the White House in 2021. Trump has denied all wrongdoing, and on the campaign trail portrayed his legal battles as part of a plot to harm his 2024 campaign. reuters
