Donald Trump just took another major legal hit. A federal appeals court has flatly rejected his argument that presidential immunity shields him from the consequences of defaming writer E. Jean Carroll — clearing the way for her to collect the staggering $88.3 million judgment awarded earlier this year.
The unanimous 70-page ruling, handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals, leaves no doubt: Trump is on the hook.
Carroll, a former Elle columnist, sued Trump for defamation after he publicly denied sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. In denying the claim, Trump repeatedly called her a liar — prompting Carroll to file suit. She won.
That defamation case — the second of two — ended in January 2024 with a jaw-dropping $83.3 million verdict, following a previous $5 million judgment in 2023 stemming from the same set of facts. Trump had already been found liable for sexual abuse in the earlier civil trial.
Still, Trump argued he was immune from legal consequences because he made the defamatory statements while serving as president. The appeals court was having none of it.
“The present appeal is from the judgment in [the first Carroll case]. Although a panel of this Court has already rejected Trump’s claim of presidential immunity,” the court wrote, “Trump now argues that the Supreme Court’s intervening decision in Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. 593 (2024), warrants reconsideration of our prior decision.”
“He also challenges the district court’s grant of partial summary judgment in favor of Carroll, its striking a portion of his testimony, its jury instructions on punitive damages, and the size of the jury’s compensatory and punitive awards,” the court added.
None of it stuck.
“For the reasons set forth below, we conclude that Trump has failed to identify any grounds that would warrant reconsidering our prior holding on presidential immunity,” the panel concluded.
That’s as clear as it gets.
Lawfare’s Roger Parloff flagged the ruling on X, underscoring what many legal experts are calling a devastating and decisive blow to Trump’s attempts to sidestep accountability.
Despite the avalanche of litigation he’s facing, Trump has leaned heavily on the idea that his status as a president shields him from personal liability. This ruling, like others before it, signals that courts are increasingly unwilling to give him that benefit — especially when it comes to personal misconduct and private attacks.
