Former President Donald Trump appealed a New York jury’s decision holding him liable for sexual battery and defamation against former Elle Magazine writer E. Jean Carroll.
The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages relating to her allegations that Trump raped her inside a dressing room at Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman department store in 1995 or 1996. The nine-person jury did not find the former president liable for rape. Trump’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal with the 2nd U.S. District Court of Appeals Thursday, CNN reported.
The former president, who is running for re-election in 2024, has said he does not know Carroll personally and alleged she made up the story in an “election interference” attempt.
“My poll numbers went up and they went up with the other fake charge too. Because what’s happening is they’re doing this for election interference,” Trump said during a CNN Republican Presidential town hall Wednesday evening.
It’s official.
Trump files a notice of appeal on the verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll. @LawCrimeNews pic.twitter.com/tiRnC91uEH
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 11, 2023
Trump further accused U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw the civil case, of being politically biased toward him and intentionally handing Carroll and her legal team advantages. He claimed Kaplan allowed Carroll’s team to present more evidence and information than his attorneys. (RELATED: Trump Responds To Verdict)
Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, requested a mistrial in the case over allegations that the court mischaracterized evidence in Carroll’s favor. Kaplan declined to grant the mistrial in a May 1 decision.
All of the witnesses in the case spoke on behalf of Carroll, including Carroll herself. Trump did not take the stand during the trial, but participated in a filmed deposition in which he said Carroll is not his type.
Tacopina told reporters outside of the courthouse Tuesday it is impossible for a conservative to seek a fair trial in New York.