Appellate judges refuse Trump’s argument that Supreme Court’s immunity ruling shields him from liability

A federal appeals court in New York has upheld a $83.3 million judgement against Donald Trump for defaming E Jean Carroll after the president claimed he was immune from liability.

Trump “failed to identify any grounds” to reconsider the case on the grounds of presidential immunity, and the jury’s verdict was “fair and reasonable” given the “unique and egregious facts of this case,” the appellate judges said Monday.

Last year, a unanimous jury returned a verdict awarding $83.3 million in damages to the former Elle magazine writer for the president’s defamatory statements during his first term in office and in the years that followed. A separate jury had already awarded Carroll $5 million in 2022 after finding Trump liable for sexual abuse.