Judge Kaplan Denies Former President Trump’s Request for a New Trial in Civil Case Brought by E. Jean Carroll

A federal court judge in New York on Wednesday denied former President Donald Trump’s bid for a new trial in the civil case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. Carroll had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a department store changing room during a chance encounter in the mid-1990s.

In a 59-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan denied Trump’s request to reduce the $5 million in damages a jury awarded Carroll earlier this year. Kaplan wrote that Trump’s arguments in asking for a new trial were “unpersuasive” and that he did not prove that the jury’s May 9 decision was a miscarriage of justice.

The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse of Carroll and defamation. Trump had argued that the $2 million she was awarded on the sexual assault was “excessive,” but Kaplan wrote that there was “no basis for disturbing the jury’s sexual assault damages.”

Trump’s lawyers had called the verdict “grossly excessive,” but Kaplan wrote that the jury had “ample evidence” to support their decision. He also noted that the jury had “carefully considered” the evidence and that their decision was “not the product of passion or prejudice.”

The ruling is a major victory for Carroll and her legal team, who have been fighting for justice for years. It is also a reminder that no one is above the law, not even the former president of the United States.