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E. Jean Carroll
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has slapped down President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to throw out a jury verdict that found he defamed and sexually abused journalist E. Jean Carroll.
In the ruling, the court not only affirmed the jury's verdict against Trump but also chided him for not putting forth anything close to sufficient evidence that would make the court even consider overturning it.
“On review for abuse of discretion, we conclude that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,” the court ruled. “Further, he has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial.”
Among other things, the court took apart Trump's objections to showing jurors the infamous “Access Hollywood” video in which Trump boasted about being able to grab women by their genitals.
“We conclude that the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape described conduct that was sufficiently similar in material respects to the conduct alleged by Ms. Carroll (and Ms. Leeds and Ms. Stoynoff) to show the existence of a pattern tending to prove the actus reus, and not mere propensity,” the court wrote. “Mr. Trump's statements in the tape, together with the testimony of Ms. Leeds and Ms. Stoynoff (detailed above), establish a repeated, idiosyncratic pattern of conduct.”
A jury last year awarded Carroll more than $83 million in damages after finding that Trump was guilty of abusing and defaming her, although Trump has maintained his innocence and has indicated that he will do everything in his power to avoid paying Carroll the money she's owed.
