E. Jean Carroll lawyer says Trump has ‘absolutely zero’ grounds for appeal

E. Jean Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan said Wednesday that former President Trump has “absolutely zero” grounds for an appeal after a jury found that he defamed Carroll and is liable for sexual abuse of her.

“Judge Kaplan is one of the most-respected, fairest judges,” she told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America.” “He gave them more process than even anyone else ever gets. He gave Donald Trump multiple chances to come to that courtroom and testify. He refused to do so. He has no appeal.”

Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, has no relation to Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw the case.

Carroll also told Stephanopoulos that Tuesday was probably the “happiest day of my life.” She echoed this statement on NBC News’s “Today,” saying she was “overwhelmed with joy” for women in the U.S. after the verdict was released.

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More from The Hill

• Trump found liable for sexual battery, defamation in E. Jean Carroll trial
• E. Jean Carroll says she’s ‘overwhelmed with joy’ for women in US after verdict in Trump case
• Trump says he will appeal E. Jean Carroll case over ‘unconstitutional silencing’
• Judge advises jurors in Trump-Carroll case to remain anonymous ‘for a long time’

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Carroll came forward in 2019, alleging that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Carroll then sued Trump for defamation over comments he made that denied her allegations she brought against him. In 2022, she filed a second lawsuit with an added battery claim after New York removed the statute of limitations for sexual assault survivors.

The nine-person jury did not find that the president committed rape but did hold him liable for sexual abuse of Carroll, the first time a trial has resulted in Trump being found liable for sexual misconduct. He was also found to have defamed Carroll and was ordered to pay $5 million in damages.

Ahead of the jury’s verdict, Trump already said he was going to appeal the case over his “unconstitutional silencing,” despite being given multiple chances to give a testimony.

Shortly after the verdict was delivered, Trump said that the verdict was a “disgrace.” He told Fox News Digital that he will appeal the case, saying, “We got treated very badly by the Clinton-appointed judge.”