DONALD Trump has been ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million for defamatory statements she made against an advice columnist.
Trump was in court in Manhattan on Friday, but stormed out of the room before the jury reached its verdict.
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Donald Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages for defamatory statements he made about the longtime advice columnist, a jury has ruledCredit: Getty Images
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Carroll received the staggering sum after Trump was previously found liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in the 1990s and defaming her in 2022. Credit: Getty
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Trump was not present at the sentencing and stormed out of the courthouse earlier in the day during closing arguments from Carroll’s attorneyCredit: Reuters
The former president was ordered to pay Carroll $11 million in defamation, $7.3 million in emotional and other damages, and $65 million in punitive damages.
Carroll was already awarded $5 million in a sexual assault and defamation case against Trump last year.
Combined with Friday’s amount, Trump must now pay Carroll a total of $88.3 million.
Carroll initially sought at least $10 million in the initial complaints she filed, and a jury awarded her more than eight times what she asked for.
Trump, 77, made a dramatic exit from the courthouse amid closing arguments from Carroll’s attorney earlier in the day.
Moments before Trump walked out, Judge Lewis Kaplan threatened to “lock up” Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, for continuing to speak when he said her time for comment was up.
“You are on the verge of spending some time in prison. Now sit down,” Judge Kaplan Habbi said, according to the Associated Press.
CARROLL’S VICTORY
Carroll, 80, claimed that Trump raped her in a New York department store in 1996 and then slandered her in comments that he denied.
In previous court proceedings, Trump was found not guilty of rape, but was found to have sexually assaulted and defamed Carroll.
He did not appear at the first trial, for which he says he is sorry.
In the second trial, Trump was limited in what he could say because the judge said he had missed an opportunity to prove his innocence.
A jury this week was tasked with deciding how much Trump should pay Carroll in damages.
She testified at the start of the trial, saying: “He ruined my reputation.
“I’m here to restore my reputation and stop him from telling lies about me.
“Before I was only known as a journalist and I had a column, now I am known as a liar, a fraud and a lunatic.”
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in court, “[Trump] he doesn’t care about the law or the truth, but he does care about money, and your punitive damages decision is the only hope that he’ll stop.”
Kaplan added that the only way Trump would “stop” was to make him pay her a “very large” sum of money.
Carroll held her lawyers’ hands and smiled as the jury, made up of seven men and two women, read the verdict.
She appeared emotional as she hugged her attorneys, Kaplan and Shawn Crowley.
She did not speak to reporters as she left the courtroom, but later released a statement through her publicist, writing: “This is a huge victory for any woman who stands up when she is knocked down, and a huge defeat for any bully who tried to keep a woman down.”
‘A CASE OF THE STINKS’
Trump’s lawyer, Habba, blasted the jury’s decision as she made comments outside court on Friday.
She said that the verdict “stinks”, and she called the case “a violation of our justice system”.
Trump also strongly condemned the outcome in comments posted on Truth Social after the verdict.
“Absolutely ridiculous!” Trump said in the post.
“I strongly disagree with both rulings and will appeal this entire Biden-directed Witch Hunt directed at me and the Republican Party.
“Our legal system is out of control and being used as a political weapon.
“They took away all of our First Amendment rights.
“THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”
In another post, Trump added: “There is no more justice in America. Our justice system is broken and unfair!”
Trump claims Carroll made up the allegations to sell her book.
Part of the case stemmed from him calling her “crazy” in a May 2023 CNN interview.
Trump also told The Hill in 2019 that Carroll was “not my guy.”
The case against Trump is being watched closely, and fans have said the skits in court have “tarnished” him.
The former president is currently running for the GOP presidential nomination.
So far, he has won the Iowa primary and the New Hampshire primary.
Trump also faces a number of other legal issues scheduled for trial in 2024.
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Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said the only way Trump will ‘stop’ is if he has to pay her a ‘very large’ sum of money.Credit: AP
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Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he would appeal the decisionCredit: Reuters
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Carroll was seen in a group hug with her lawyers, Robert Kaplan and Shawn Crowley, after the verdict was read in the courtroomCredit: AFP
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