Internet rejoices as Donald Trump's plea for new trial in E Jean Carroll defamation case is denied

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A New York federal judge rejected former President Donald Trump’s plea for a new trial in the defamation lawsuit filed by writer E Jean Carroll on Thursday, April 25.

The jury previously found Trump liable of defamation on January 26, awarding Carroll a hefty $83.3 million judgment.

Judge says Donald Trump's appeal is 'entirely without merit'

The judge also dismissed the request to strike the damages in the case, which Trump had described as “entirely out of proportion” to Carroll’s reputational injury.

“Mr Trump’s argument is entirely without merit both as a matter of law and as a matter of fact,” US District Judge Lewis Kaplan stated in his 18-page judgment delivered on Thursday.

The judge also found that the punitive damages the jury awarded Trump “passes constitutional muster.”

“It ignores long-standing constitutional principles and is a prime example of the lawfare raging across this country," Alina Habba, an attorney representing Trump, expressed.

"We are confident that this decision will be overturned by the Second Circuit," she said as per CBC News. 

Donald Trump dismissed E Jean Carroll as a 'whack job' previously

Trump requested the new trial in a March filing, listing grievances about the trial and pre-trial decisions, including the exclusion of evidence related to his “state of mind” when he defamed Carroll.

Carroll, a longtime advice columnist, had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s in a story she wrote for New York magazine in 2019.

Trump, who was president at the time the story was published, denied the allegations, labeling Carroll a “whack job” and asserting that he had never met her.

In the filing, Trump claimed that the jury could not have reasonably concluded that Carroll suffered damages as a result of his comments, as they were made five hours after the story was published.

Donald Trump was sued over statements that were 'false' and 'defamatory'

Trump’s attorneys highlighted the trickle of negative feedback Carroll received during that “five-hour gap.”

Trump argued that the jury’s findings were based on “‘confusion, speculation or prejudice’ as opposed to the ‘evidence presented at trial.’”

Judge Kaplan, however, wrote that Trump’s argument overlooked the fact that the jury and court had concluded that the statements Trump was sued over “were false, defamatory, and made with both actual and common law malice.”

“It ignores the fact that those defamatory statements were viewed between at least 85 to 104 million times,” Kaplan added.

Internet reaction over Donald Trump's appeal for new trial in E Jean Caroll gets rejected

Internet mostly reacted positively to the news, however, some sought the ruling to be overturned in the appeals court as this was essentially the judge upholding his ruling.

"Hence DJT still guilty in the E Jean Carroll second trial," wrote a user on X. Another wrote, "Great news."

One more wrote, "Pay up Donny," while another added, "Of course, Kaplan upheld his own ruling. Now, it's on to the appeals court!" 

"The biggest loser loses again," wrote another, "Another win for the rule of law and Wonder Woman @ejeancarroll - we are stronger together!!! This is the news I needed after the Weinstein ruling. Stay safe."

"I love when “denied” and “trump” appear in the same sentence," one more wrote, and another user said, "Uh oh, now it will be overturned on appeal."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.