Former President Donald Trump was in a New York courtroom Friday morning as his lawyers asked a federal appeals court to throw out a jury verdict that found that he sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996. The former president's lawyer said the trial judge erred last year by allowing the jury to hear testimony from two other women who also said Trump sexually abused them.
Trump is trying to erase a $5 million judgment against him. This is one of two cases involving Trump and Carroll.
In the other case, Carroll was awarded $83 million.
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Friday's hearing lasted roughly 25 minutes. One of the three Second Circuit panel judges said that it was going to be a high bar to throw out a jury's verdict. Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer for Carroll, brought in the Access Hollywood tapes made public in 2016, calling them at least in part a confession.
On Friday, Trump reiterated his claim that he does not personally know Carroll.
"I have no idea who she is. She wrote a book and she made a ridiculous story up," Trump said. "She put it in her book and we're now appealing the decision."
Trump suggested that this case, and the four criminal cases against him, are being done as political retribution.
"This is a disgraceful case and disgraceful in particular because it's about a former president of the United States who is now leading in the polls to be the president again," Trump said.
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Carroll said she plans to do good with the money from judgments against Trump.
"If it will cause him pain for me to give money to certain things, that's my intent," Carroll said, adding that she may create a fund for women who have accused Trump of sexually assaulting them.
The court is not expected to rule on the case until after the November election.
