The U.S. Federal Court of Appeal issued a final judgment on September 8 rejecting Trump’s appeal andining the original judgment demanding $83.3 million in damages.The former president has to pay a heavy price for his remarks because of the prostitute writer Carol.
Trump has always claimed that he has “presidential immunity” to be exempt from such lawsuits.But everyone is equal before the law, and three judges at the Federal Court of Appeal have made it clear to him in a 70-page ruling:
The president also did not deny the privileges of others.This years-long legal war ended in the victory of ordinary people.
The president has to pay, the president has to pay.
Trump now owes Carol no small amount of money. $83.3 million in compensation plus interest, the total amount has reached $89.7 million, which is roughly equivalent to RMB 6,5 billion.
The money was divided into two parts: $18.3 million in compensatory compensation to compensate for Carol’s reputational damage and mental trauma, and another $65 million in punitive compensation to prevent Trump from continuing to speak out.
Trump claims to have about $400 million in cash reserves, but his liquidity is also challenged in the face of multiple lawsuits at the same time.
Carol, a 79-year-old writer at the time, published an article in New York magazine accusing Trump of sexually assaulting her in the wardrobe of a supermarket in the 1990s.
Carol was not an ordinary woman, she was a columnist for the magazine ELLE, and had some popularity in the literary world. She described Trump as “forcing me to the wall and then raping me.”
Trump’s reaction was quite fierce, not only denying the allegations altogether, but also publicly accusing Carroll of “lying,” “hypocriting new books,” and even saying “the girls are not their own dishes at all.”
In May 2023, a New York federal jury first ruled that Trump was founded for sexual assault (an unlawfully defined crime of rape) and that his 2022 remarks constituted a scam, sentencing him to pay $5 million in damages to Carol.
In January 2024, another jury awarded an additional compensation for Trump’s 2019 slanderous remarks, ruling that he was required to pay $83.3 million. The court believed these statements triggered massive cyber violence and death threats.
The Trump team, of course, disobeyed the verdict, and they appealed in March 2024 on the grounds of “Presidential Immunity” and “Excessive Compensation”.
Presidential immunity, Trump's bodyguard is invalid
Trump’s team of lawyers put forward a view that, as president, Trump should enjoy “official immunity from behavior” to be exempt from the plagues of such lawsuits.
But this argument was directly rejected by the Court of Appeal. The court made it clear that the publication of personal assault remarks does not fall within the scope of the president’s duties.
The ruling is iconic and clarifies the principle that everyone is equal before the law, and that even the president cannot abuse his power to slander others.
In a 70-page ruling, the court explained in detail that the amount of damages decided by the jury was “fairly reasonable.”
Trump’s remarks brought tangible harm to Carol.His public accusations led Carol to suffer massive cyber violence, receiving thousands of blasphemous messages and hundreds of death threats.
The court found that Trump’s remarks were clearly malicious and completely disregarded the security threat to Carol. High compensation was not only compensation for the victims, but also a necessary measure to prevent Trump from continuing to torture.
A ridiculous plot also appeared during the trial.On May 5, 2023, a video of Trump’s testimony was released by the Manhattan Court in New York City.
When Carroll’s lawyer showed Trump a photo of his party, Trump mistakenly identified Carroll as his second wife. This embarrassing moment was recorded by court cameras and became a rumor in the trial.
This detail, although seeming small, reflects Trump’s disregard for the accusers. Even if people don’t recognize it clearly, it’s not so much about so-called “familiarities” or “interactions.”
Political influence, President’s image damaged
The legal dispute hit Trump’s political image a little bit. Trump’s team claimed that “the American people stand with them” and blamed the defeat for “political arming of the justice system.”
But opponents argue that the court ruling reflects legal fairness and undermines its moral credibility.
The case occurred during President Trump’s term and involved his actions after being elected, which made the case more politically sensitive.
Trump’s legal team has already said they plan to appeal to the Supreme Court, but it’s still hard to say if this will change the outcome.
While the Supreme Court has a conservative majority, it is unlikely that it will easily overturn the fact that the lower court has ruled that if Trump refuses to pay compensation, Carol’s lawyers can apply for the freezing of his assets.
The law enforcement measures on the assets of the former president could then be seen, which would be a rare scenario in U.S. history.
Even in the face of the world’s most powerful accused, victims of sexual assault still get procedural justice.This breakthrough is not only reflected in amounts, but also in breaking the underlying rule of “power is immunity.”
It proves that in a sound legal system, power is not a symbol, everyone is equal before the law.
No matter how high the status, how big the power, everyone must be responsible for their actions, this is the true spirit of the rule of law.
The final ruling in the Trump case showed that even the president can’t abuse power to slander others.The court ruling upheld the basic principle of fairness and also established an important precedent for similar cases.
This years-long legal struggle ended with the victory of ordinary people, proving that in a sound legal system, power is not a shelter, everyone must be responsible for their words and actions.
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Trump’s failed appeal for sexual assault and bullying still demands $83.3 million in damages to the woman