DONALD Trump has been ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million for defamatory statements he made against the 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 was awarded the staggering sum after Trump was previously found liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s and defaming her in 2022Credit: Getty
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Trump wasn’t present for the verdict and he stormed out of the courthouse earlier in the day during Carroll’s lawyer’s closing argumentsCredit: Reuters
The former president was ordered to pay Carroll $11 million for reputational damage, $7.3 million for emotional harm and other damages, and $65 million in punitive damages.
Carroll had already been awarded $5 million in her sexual assault and defamation case against Trump last year.
Combined with Friday’s sum, Trump must now pay Carroll a combined $88.3 million.
Carroll was initially seeking at least $10 million in the initial complaints she filed and the jury awarded her more than eight times what she requested.
Trump, 77, had dramatically exited the courthouse in the middle of Carroll’s lawyer’s closing arguments earlier in the day.
Moments before Trump walked out, Judge Lewis Kaplan threatened to “lock up” Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, for continuing to speak when he said her time to comment was over.
“You are on the verge of spending some time in the lockup. Now sit down,” Judge Kaplan told Habba, The Associated Press reported.
CARROLL’S WIN
Carroll, 80, claimed that Trump raped her in a New York City department store in 1996 and then defamed her in comments as he denied it.
In previous court proceedings, Trump was not found guilty of rape but was found to have sexually assaulted and defamed Carroll.
He did not show up to the first trial, which he has said he regrets.
In the second trial, Trump was limited in what he could say as the judge said he missed his chance to prove he was innocent.
The jury this week was tasked with deciding how much Trump should pay Carroll in damages.
She testified early in the trial, saying, “He shattered my reputation.
“I am here to get my reputation back, and to stop him from telling lies about me.
“Previously, I was known simply as a journalist and had a column, and now I’m known as the liar, the fraud, and the whack job.”
Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said in court,“[Trump] doesn’t care about the law or truth but does care about money, and your decision on punitive damages is the only hope that he stops.”
Kaplan added that the only way Trump would “stop” was if were made to pay her a “very large” amount of money.
Carroll held her lawyers’ hands and smiled as the jury, comprised of seven men and two women, read the verdict.
She appeared to be emotional as she embraced her attorneys, Kaplan and Shawn Crowley, in a hug.
She did not speak with reporters as she left the courthouse but later released a statement through her publicist, writing, “This is a great victory for every woman who stands up when she’s been knocked down, and a huge defeat for every bully who has tried to keep a woman down.”
‘CASE REEKS’
Trump’s lawyer, Habba, blasted the jury’s decision as she made comments outside court on Friday.
She said that the verdict “reeks” and called the case “a violation of our justice system.”
Trump also slammed the outcome in comments posted on Truth Social after the verdict was decided.
“Absolutely ridiculous!” Trump said in a post.
“I fully disagree with both verdicts and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party.
“Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon.
“They have taken away all First Amendment Rights.
“THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”
In another post, Trump added, “There is no longer Justice in America. Our Judicial System is Broken and Unfair!”
Trump claims that Carroll made up the accusations to sell her book.
Part of the case stemmed from him calling her a “whack job,” in a CNN interview in May 2023.
Trump also told The Hill in 2019 that Carroll is “not my type.”
The case against Trump has been followed closely and fans said that sketches of him at court have “done him dirty.”
The former president is currently running for the GOP presidential nomination.
He has won the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primaries so far.
Trump is also facing multiple other legal troubles set for trials in 2024.
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Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said the only way Trump will ‘stop’ is if has to pay her a ‘very large’ amount of moneyCredit: 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, Roberta Kaplan and Shawn Crowley, after the verdict was read in the courthouseCredit: AFP
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Source: tiengtrunghaato.edu.vn