According to the jury, Trump has been ordered to pay $83.3 million in damages for defaming E. Jean Carroll.
Donald Trump, the previous President, has been ordered to pay $83.3 million in compensation for making defamatory remarks denying allegations of sexual assault made by a writer.E. Jean Carroll
On Friday, a federal jury delivered a surprising decision in less than three hours.
The jury granted Carroll a total of $18.3 million for compensatory damages and $65 million for punitive damages. The compensatory sum covered $11 million for restoring her reputation and $7.3 million for emotional distress.
Carroll’s legal team requested that the jurors grant $24 million in compensatory damages. According to lawyer Roberta Kaplan, the amount for punitive damages should be sufficient to put an end to the defamation of her client.
In 2019, a piece was published in New York magazine where the author accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a dressing room of a department store in the 1990s. Despite being president at the time, Trump promptly denied the allegations, labeling Carroll as unstable and stating that he had never crossed paths with her. He continued to refute the claims in public appearances, social media posts, and in court, which was noted by Carroll’s lawyers during the trial.
Carroll was awarded $7 million.
In 2019 and 2022, Carroll filed two lawsuits against Trump for defamation. She claimed that his negative comments about her damaged her reputation and resulted in constant threatening behavior towards her. In the trial for the first lawsuit in May 2023, a jury found Trump guilty of defamation and sexual abuse, and Carroll was granted $7 million in damages.awarded Carroll $5 million.
Prior to the start of the second hearing, the judge determined that Carroll’s account of the attack was truthful and that Trump’s denials of her allegations were libelous. The jury’s sole responsibility was to determine the compensation Carroll should receive.
The jury’s verdict of $83 million was announced only a few days after Trump’s involvement.
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Shortly after the decision was announced, the ex-president, who had already departed from the courthouse, released a statement on his social media app, Truth Social.
“Completely absurd!” Trump expressed. “I strongly reject both decisions and will be challenging this entire Biden-directed witch hunt that is targeting me and the Republican Party. Our legal system is chaotic and being manipulated as a political tool. They have stripped away our First Amendment rights. This is not the America we know!”
It is uncertain if the ruling will have the desired effect of stopping him, as intended by Carroll’s lawyers. Trump’s response did not contain his usual phrases regarding the situation, such as denying ever meeting her, labeling her as untruthful, or dismissing the case as fabricated.
Carroll’s closing argument
The jury received the case on Friday after both parties made their final statements. Kaplan had been speaking for approximately ten minutes when Trump abruptly stood up and left the room from where he was seated at the defense table.
Prior to his departure, Kaplan continuously informed the jurors that he had committed sexual assault against Carroll, causing the ex-president to shake his head in response. She then shifted the focus to Trump’s repeated defamatory remarks and pointed out that typically, individuals who are held accountable for spreading false and damaging lies tend to cease their actions.
According to Kaplan, he persisted in slandering Ms. Carroll throughout the duration of the trial.
Kaplan, who is not related to Judge Lewis Kaplan presiding over the case, requested that the jury award Carroll a minimum of $24 million in compensatory damages. She guided the jury through Trump’s initial statements in 2019 and the numerous times he has reiterated his claims since then – including denying ever meeting Carroll, stating she is not his “type,” denying assaulting her, and calling the case a “hoax” – even as recent as a few days prior.
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Kaplan stated that the denials and attacks persisted while you were present in the courtroom and sitting in the seats. He then proceeded to play a video of a press conference held by Trump last week, where he once again verbally attacked Carroll.
Next, she displayed a recent post on Truth Social where Trump promised to reject the accusations “countless times.”
Kaplan expressed disbelief, exclaiming, “Are you serious? He’s willing to do it a thousand times unless you intervene.”
Kaplan concluded by noting that Trump was absent from the initial trial, which focused on the accusation of sexual assault against Carrol, but made an appearance for the current proceedings, which involved determining damages.
She stated that the only thing that matters to Donald Trump is money.
Trump’s closing argument
Alina Habba, the lawyer representing Trump, delivered the final statement for the defense, with Trump present in the courtroom.
Habba argued that there was a five-hour time period in 2019 where Carroll’s accusations against Trump were made public before Trump made a defamatory statement. However, Habba stated that Carroll had not proven a direct link between Trump’s statement and the harassment that followed.
During her testimony, Habba honed in on a specific part of Carroll’s account where she recounted the initial night she received threatening messages. According to her testimony, Carroll hung a pair of pants over a hotel window in order to feel safe.
Habba stated that she did not contact the authorities, but she did put away her pants. She also did not inform anyone, but she did hang up her pants.
Habba stated: “There are two sides to E. Jean Carroll: The one her friend knew and attested to, and the one who is appearing in court to obtain money from my client.”
Once more, she referenced statements and text messages from Carroll in which she expressed feeling “fabulous” and “buoyant” after making her accusations known to the public.
When given the opportunity to respond, Carroll’s lawyer Shawn Crowley consistently directed accusations towards Trump, claiming he had sexually assaulted Carroll and then denied it.
During the event, Trump shifted his attention to Crowley and gave her a disapproving look while crossing his arms. As she kept talking, frequently gesturing towards him, he became more lively and expressed his disagreement by shaking his head and making facial expressions.
According to Crowley, they are trying to shift the blame onto Ms. Carroll and portray Donald Trump as a victim, as evidenced by his apparent agreement.
According to Crowley, the individual responsible for these actions and sexually assaulting her has been granted unchecked freedom. She expressed frustration that he is exempt from consequences and urged the jury to deliver a verdict that will put an end to his behavior.
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Source: cbsnews.com