Former President Trump has been instructed to pay a substantial sum of $83 million in the E. Jean Carroll case verdict.
The federal civil jury ruled on Friday that former President Donald Trump is required to pay advice columnist E. Jean Carroll a substantial $83.3 million for defaming her in 2019. During that time, he had rejected her allegations of sexual assault, stating that “people should pay dearly for such false accusations.”
Carroll’s legal team had sought significant damages from the anonymous nine-person jury, and the panel delivered with an award of $18.3 million in compensatory damages and an additional $65 million in punitive damages. Following a trial that spanned several days of testimony and arguments, the jury deliberated for just three hours.
Although Trump had left the Manhattan courtroom before the verdict was announced, he expressed frustration on social media and declared his intention to appeal the jury’s decision.
Expressing his discontent on Truth Social, he remarked, “This is utterly absurd! I vehemently reject both decisions and intend to challenge this entire Biden-directed witch hunt, which appears to target me and the Republican Party. Our legal system is spiraling out of control, being wielded as a political weapon.”
Meanwhile, E. Jean Carroll displayed a smile upon the announcement of the verdict. In a statement on Friday night, she declared, “This marks a significant triumph for every woman who finds the strength to rise after a fall and a substantial setback for every oppressor attempting to keep a woman subdued.”
Trump rival Nikki Haley weighs in—rephrase
Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina Governor and the remaining contender against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, utilized the verdict as an opportunity to criticize the former president, just four weeks before their anticipated showdown in her home state’s GOP primary.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Haley remarked, “Donald Trump aspires to be the assumed Republican nominee, yet here we are discussing $83 million in damages. We’re not addressing border issues. We’re not tackling inflation. America deserves better than a conversation focused on Donald Trump and Joe Biden.”
‘He does care about money’——rewrite
Earlier in the day on Friday, Roberta Kaplan, the lead counsel for Carroll, had urged the jury to grant a minimum of $24 million in compensatory damages, emphasizing that Trump should face significant punitive damages to both penalize and dissuade him.
Expressing that “Financial considerations matter to him,” Kaplan posed the question, “What monetary figure is required to bring an end to his actions?”
Throughout the night from 11 pm on Thursday to Friday afternoon, Trump posted 17 messages or shares on Truth Social, totaling almost 750 words. In these posts, he criticized the Carroll case, questioned her credibility, and raised concerns about the judge’s impartiality.
The compensatory damages awarded by the jury, totaling $18.3 million, encompassed $11 million for Carroll to fund a public relations campaign aimed at restoring her reputation and $7.3 million for pain and suffering.
Reflecting on the outcome, Stephanie Grisham, who served as Trump’s White House press secretary, remarked, “This is a significant day not only for E. Jean Carroll but also for victims of sexual abuse everywhere.”
Read more: Alabama-has-recently-carried-out-its-first-execution-using-nitrogen-gas/
Disturbing Account of a Decades-Old Assault
The damages for defamation on Friday add to the previously determined $5 million that Trump was instructed to pay Carroll. This directive came after a jury concluded last May that he had both sexually abused and defamed the author in 2022, dismissing her accusation as a “con job.”
The recent verdict specifically addresses Trump’s initial denials in 2019 when Carroll first publicly accused him of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.
Judge Lewis Kaplan advised the seven men and two women jurors that they were free to discuss the case publicly but must not disclose the identity of another juror. “I suggest to you,” he continued, “that you refrain from revealing your jury participation, and I won’t provide any further details on the matter.”
Intimidation and Rejection
Carroll’s legal team argued that Trump, through his prolonged statements as president denying her accusation and insinuating she fabricated it for book sales, incited his supporters against her. They presented the jury with a selection of messages, portraying them as a representation of the attacks Carroll endured.
One assailant told Carroll to “stick a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger and send yourself to HELL.” Another suggested that the “penalty for lying about rape should be execution by hanging or firing squad.”
Carroll testified that when she first read a death threat from one of Trump’s followers, she physically recoiled, fearing for her safety. “I believed I was about to be shot,” she expressed.
Trump, who skipped the initial defamation trial, attended many of the proceedings this time. Although he briefly testified on Thursday, Judge Kaplan had previously ruled that, given the prior verdict, Trump could not deny assaulting Carroll while on the witness stand.
When Trump labeled Carroll’s accusation as “totally false,” Judge Kaplan struck that part of the testimony. Trump continued to assail Carroll on social media throughout the trial, posting a video on Thursday night describing the case as a “scam” and claiming, “I don’t even know who this woman is.”
This echoed comments Trump made out of turn from inside the courtroom Thursday, prompting Judge Kaplan to instruct, “Mr. Trump, keep your voice down.”
Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, depicted Carroll as an attention seeker unable to prove that the threats she received were a result of Trump’s denials rather than her own accusation. On Friday, she told jurors, “This is about some people in their mothers’ basements who will always be mean on social media.”
Trump Attorney Pledges to Challenge
In a statement on Friday, Roberta Kaplan asserted that the verdict “demonstrates that the law applies to everyone in our country, even the rich, even the famous, even former presidents.” She praised Carroll, saying, “Standing up to a bully takes courage and bravery; it takes someone like E. Jean Carroll.”
Habba, who clashed with the judge during the trial and faced contempt citation threats, affirmed that Trump would “immediately appeal” the verdict. She stated outside the courthouse, “We were stripped of every defense, every single defense before we walked in there, and I am proud to stand with President Trump because “He attended, he rose, he testified, and he confronted the judge.”