Court gives Trump partial victory in rape accuser's defamation lawsuit, citing immunity

A federal appeals court in New York gave former President Trump a partial win on Tuesday in a defamation lawsuit in which a woman has accused him of raping her in the 1990s, ruling that presidents have by federal law the broad legal immunity given to government employees.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit gave a split decision, stating that a lower court was in error when it ruled that Trump's accuser, E. Jean Carroll, could sue him personally for his allegedly defamatory statements against her while president, The Hill reported.

The panel asked the top local court in Washington, D.C., to decide on an issue regarding Trump's potential immunity, specifically whether he was acting "outside the scope" of his presidency in his alleged defamation of Carroll by projecting doubt on her credibility and criticizing her personal appearance.