Trump Appeals Court Ruling to Pay $5 Million for Defamation

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has appealed a New York court decision that found him liable for attempting to rape journalist E. Jean Carroll, ordering him to pay $5 million, according to CNN.

Trump's attorneys filed the appeal on Thursday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

The court rejected Carroll's claims that Trump raped her in 1996 but acknowledged that he was responsible for the assault. The former White House occupant has been ordered to pay $2 million for assault and $3 million for defamation.

Trump, who was not present in the courtroom, had previously stated that he has never raped Carroll and does not even know her.

Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, had earlier claimed that Carroll fabricated the entire story to boost sales of her 2019 memoir. In that book, she first accused Trump of rape.

The journalist alleges that she encountered the former president at the Bergdorf Goodman store, where he began to harass her in the dressing room.

Following the verdict, Trump assured that he has never met Carroll.