Appeals court upholds $5 million E. Jean Carroll verdict against Trump

New York: So, the appeals court just backed E. Jean Carroll’s $5 million win against Trump. This all started when a jury found him liable for sexually abusing her back in the ’90s and then trashing her reputation after she spoke out.

Trump’s been denying everything and thought the verdict was way too much. He claimed the judge made some unfair calls during the trial, which lasted nine days. But the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said, “Nope, you didn’t prove that.” They felt the judge did just fine.

Trump’s spokesperson came out swinging, saying the American people want an end to what he called the “political weaponization” of justice. He’s still calling Carroll’s case a hoax and plans to keep appealing.

On the flip side, Carroll’s lawyer was pretty happy with the ruling, thanking the court for taking their arguments seriously. Carroll’s case is all about an alleged assault in a Manhattan department store dressing room back in ’96, plus Trump’s nasty comments about her afterward.

Interestingly, Trump didn’t even testify during the trial. His appeal focused on what he thought were major mistakes by the judge, like letting in testimony from other women who said Trump had also assaulted them.

One woman, Jessica Leeds, said Trump groped her on a flight in the ’70s, while another, Natasha Stoynoff, claimed he pushed her against a wall in 2005. Trump denies all their claims, too.

His team also argued that the jury shouldn’t have heard the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape where Trump bragged about groping women. But the appeals court said that evidence was relevant to show a pattern of behavior.

And it doesn’t stop there. Trump is also fighting an $83 million defamation judgment from a separate case related to comments he made about Carroll while he was president. He’s appealing that one too.

So, it looks like this saga isn’t over yet, and we’ll have to see how it all plays out.