Trump owes $83.3 million for defaming journalist: court decision details

In the USA, the Federal Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit approved the jury's decision to fine President Donald Trump $83.3 million for defaming journalist E. Jean Carroll in 2019 – at that time, Trump was in his first term as president. This is reported by UNN with reference to CNN.

Details

The judges also rejected Trump's attempts to claim presidential immunity, as he made these statements while in office.

A panel of three judges cited Trump's repeated denials and public criticism of Carroll, even after the first jury found his statements defamatory, as grounds for upholding punitive damages.

Trump himself repeatedly stated that Carroll was "not his type" and suggested that she fabricated sexual assault allegations to boost book sales.

Reference

Carroll claimed that Trump raped her in a department store in the mid-1990s and then defamed her when he denied her allegations. She sued Trump under a New York state law that allows for the review of sexual assault cases. In 2023, a jury awarded Carroll $5 million, finding that Trump raped and defamed her. The Federal Court of Appeals upheld this verdict.

Trump now has until November to appeal to the Supreme Court to hear the appeal.

Recall

In late August 2025, the US Court of Appeals ruled most tariffs imposed by Donald Trump illegal. At the same time, this court decision allows the tariffs to remain in effect until October 14.