NEW YORK — On Monday, a federal appeals court affirmed a jury’s verdict in a civil lawsuit, concluding that Donald Trump sexually assaulted the columnist E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room during the 1990s.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Manhattan jury’s ruling, which awarded Carroll $5 million in damages for both defamation and sexual assault.

In the trial held in 2023, Carroll, a veteran writer, shared her experience of a seemingly innocent meeting with Trump in the spring of 1996 that turned into a brutal assault once they were in the dressing room together.

Trump was absent during the trial and has consistently denied the allegations. Nevertheless, he provided brief testimony in a later defamation trial earlier this year, which led to an $83.3 million judgment against him. This subsequent trial was initiated because of comments Trump made in 2019 following Carroll’s public accusations in her memoir.

In its ruling, a panel of three judges from the appeals court rejected claims made by Trump’s legal team that trial Judge Lewis A. Kaplan had issued rulings that compromised the trial’s fairness. This included permitting testimony from two additional women who alleged that Trump had sexually assaulted them.

The judge also allowed the jury to view the notorious “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump boasted about being able to touch women without their consent due to his celebrity status.

The 2nd Circuit stated, “We find that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court made any erroneous rulings concerning the claims raised. Additionally, he has not shown that any alleged mistakes significantly impacted his rights, warranting a new trial.”

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In September, both Carroll, now 81, and Trump, who is 78, attended the oral arguments at the 2nd Circuit.

Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, released a statement claiming that Trump was elected with a strong mandate from voters who now desire an end to what he termed the political manipulation of the justice system, labeling the case a “Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax” that will be appealed.

Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, expressed her contentment with the ruling, stating, “E. Jean Carroll and I are both pleased with today’s decision. We appreciate the thorough assessment of the arguments by the Second Circuit.”

In May 2023, the initial jury determined that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll and defamed her through remarks made in October 2022, culminating in a $5 million award.

In January, a second jury awarded Carroll an additional $83.3 million in damages for Trump’s comments made while he was president, which were ruled defamatory. This jury was instructed to accept the previous jury’s conclusion that Trump had sexually abused Carroll. The appeal regarding that verdict is still ongoing.

Throughout both trials, Carroll testified about how Trump’s public statements have drastically affected her life as a columnist for Elle magazine, leading to threats against her and causing her to fear leaving her home in upstate New York.

During the second trial, Trump testified for less than three minutes and was not permitted to contest the findings of the May 2023 jury. However, he remained visibly engaged in the courtroom during the two-week trial, often heard muttering about the proceedings.

During the appeal arguments in September, Trump’s lawyer D. John Sauer argued that witness testimonies, including Carroll’s discussions about the incident shortly after it occurred, were inappropriate due to perceived biases against Trump.

Sauer also contended that testimonies from two women alleging similar sexual misconduct by Trump from the 1970s and 2005 should have been excluded, as Trump has denied those claims as well.

The 2nd Circuit observed, “In each of the three incidents, Mr. Trump initiated a casual conversation with a woman he barely knew, only to abruptly escalate to unwanted kissing and touching in semi-public venues. These actions are sufficiently similar to establish a pattern.”

Moreover, the court noted that the “Access Hollywood” tape served as direct support for the women’s accounts regarding the pattern of behavior they experienced.

The Associated Press generally refrains from disclosing the identities of individuals who report sexual assault unless they have publicly identified themselves, as E. Jean Carroll has done.