Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay writer E. Jean Carroll more than $83 million in damages for repeatedly defaming her, according to a recent jury ruling.
The nine-person jury deliberated for just under three hours in federal court in New York before reaching their verdict. The awarded sum includes $11 million for damage to Carroll’s reputation, $7.3 million for emotional harm and other damages, and a whopping $65 million in punitive damages.
During the trial, there were intense closing arguments that led to Trump storming out of the courtroom. Although he returned for his attorney’s closing arguments, he left the courthouse before the jury delivered its verdict.
It’s important to note that Trump had already been found liable for defaming Carroll while he was president due to mocking her allegation of sexual abuse. Thus, this jury’s sole task was to determine the appropriate amount of damages. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, requested at least $24 million in compensatory damages for the harm suffered by her client, in addition to a significant amount in punitive damages to discourage further defamation by Trump.
Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, argued that Carroll was not entitled to any damages because she actively sought the attention and comments she received. However, the jury did not agree with this defense.
The trial, which began on January 16th, saw Trump as the final witness. However, he only testified for less than five minutes.
This is the second verdict in favor of Carroll against Trump. In a separate case last year, a different jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing her in a New York City department store in the 1990s and for defaming her after leaving the White House. In that case, he was ordered to pay $5 million in damages, a judgment that Trump is currently appealing.
The current ruling is based on the findings of the previous jury, where U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan found Trump liable for defamation. While Trump was not allowed to testify that Carroll’s claim was fabricated, he still managed to do so in his brief testimony, declaring her accusation a “false accusation.”
For more information, you can read the source article from NBC News.
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