E. Jean Carroll (C) arrives for her civil defamation trial in opposition to former US President Donald Trump at Manhattan Federal Courtroom in New York Metropolis on January 22, 2024.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP by way of Getty Photos
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E. Jean Carroll (C) arrives for her civil defamation trial in opposition to former US President Donald Trump at Manhattan Federal Courtroom in New York Metropolis on January 22, 2024.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP by way of Getty Photos
A New York jury on Friday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay a complete of $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll for ruining her credibility as an recommendation columnist when he referred to as her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault.
The jury awarded Carroll $65 million in punitive damages, $11 million for the injury to her status and one other $7.3 million. Trump is sort of sure to attraction the decision.
Regardless of the dimensions of the penalty, the decision was not sudden. Decide Lewis Kaplan dominated even earlier than the trial that Trump had actually defamed Carroll. The jury solely needed to resolve how a lot Trump owed her — not if he was liable. That is the second time Trump has been ordered pay Carroll; final yr he was mandated by a jury to pay $5 million for a separate occasion of defamation.
In response, the Trump 2024 marketing campaign issued an announcement arguing, with out providing proof, that the trial is a ”political weapon.”
”Completely ridiculous!” stated the assertion. ”I absolutely disagree with each verdicts, and will likely be interesting this entire Biden Directed Witch Hunt centered on me and the Republican Occasion.”
The jury’s choice comes simply days after Trump gained the New Hampshire main and have become the GOP front-runner. The case is one in every of a number of involving Trump, who can also be awaiting a verdict in a civil trial that might end in him paying at the very least $250 million to New York state for his enterprise practices, which have been deemed by a decide to be fraudulent.
He is also prohibited from doing enterprise within the state the place he made his identify as an actual property mogul. In all, Trump faces 91 expenses in federal and state trials, starting from those in New York to these on the federal degree associated to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
What this case is about
In 2019, Carroll, an recommendation columnist and freelance author, accused Trump of sexually assaulting her within the ’90s. The accusation, which was detailed in her ebook, was first previewed in a New York journal article. After the article’s publication, Trump issued two statements in response to reporters, together with one during which he outright denied her declare and stated she was ”not my sort.”
Carroll then sued Trump for defamation, arguing that his feedback ruined her status as a trusted supply within the media, and resulted in a slew of insults and threatening messages, emails and feedback to her social media accounts.
On the time, Trump’s Lawyer Basic Invoice Barr blocked the lawsuit, arguing Trump had made the feedback in his official capability as president. This brought on the lawsuit to be caught in courtroom for a number of years.
In 2023, Biden’s Justice Division reversed course and allowed the primary lawsuit on defamation to maneuver ahead. Partly due to the 2023 choice that had discovered Trump chargeable for assault, Decide Kaplan dominated that Trump had defame Carroll in 2019 and that the previous president was additionally liable.
What testimony confirmed
Carroll herself was the primary witness to take the stand — placing her nose to nose with Trump, who attended the primary few days of the trial.
Carroll testified that she felt as if Trump calling her a liar ”ended the world I had been residing in.”
Whereas she used to obtain tons of of emails asking for recommendation to her column e mail, she stated, she now obtained fewer than 10 a month. As an alternative, she stated, she obtained threats and insults. Carroll’s lawyer confirmed the jury a number of social media posts, messages and emails despatched to Carroll within the following days after Trump’s statements.
”I sued to get my status again,” Carroll stated.
However Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, argued damages ought not be traced again to Trump himself. Habba additionally confirmed the jury a number of social media posts, however these had been posted within the five-hour ”hole” between Carroll’s allegations being printed and Trump making the feedback he’s being sued over.
Habba additionally centered on the reward and help Carroll obtained for her allegation and questioned the author’s motive for suing and for deleting threats despatched to her e mail.
Trump doubled down on allegations Carroll is mendacity
Former US President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower for Manhattan federal courtroom for the second defamation trial in opposition to him, in New York Metropolis on January 22, 2024.
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Former US President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower for Manhattan federal courtroom for the second defamation trial in opposition to him, in New York Metropolis on January 22, 2024.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP by way of Getty Photos
After weeks of vowing to take the witness stand in his protection, Trump lastly did so on Jan. 25. However it was short-lived — only some minutes.
In testimony he stated he ”100%” stood by his earlier deposition. Requested by his lawyer if he ever instructed anybody to harm Carroll, Trump stated that he did not, and simply wished to defend himself, his household and his presidency.
Past his testimony, Trump was current for a number of days of the trial and was vocal in regards to the case outdoors the courtroom.
In the course of the first day of testimony, he was reprimanded by Decide Kaplan for making feedback throughout Carroll’s time on the stand. Carroll’s legal professionals twice flagged that they might hear him and the jury may be capable to as nicely. Kaplan warned Trump that his proper to be current may very well be taken away.
Trump additionally spoke out throughout marketing campaign rallies in Iowa and New Hampshire, and to reporters in New York, about his perception this trial is election interference — usually reiterating claims much like these he was being sued over.