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A New York jury has ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million for defaming author E. Jean Carroll after he accused her of sexual assault. It's the latest stumble in court for the former U.S. president, who is fighting multiple lawsuits in his bid to return. White House.
The judgment, handed down Friday, includes an additional $5 million in damages. playing cards In a separate trial in May, a jury found that Carroll had sexually abused her, but not raped her, and was ordered to pay Carroll.
The bill could soon get even higher, with the former president potentially facing more than $350 million in damages in a separate fraud case involving his family business, the Trump Organization. A New York judge is expected to issue a ruling by the end of this month.
Carroll's lawyers had argued that Trump should pay at least $24 million in damages in the case. Jurors deliberated for just a few hours before reaching their verdict. Friday's award included $65 million in punitive damages for punitive and deterrent purposes.
The verdict ends yet another mean-spirited trial in which the former president trampled on courtroom etiquette and drew the ire of a respected judge. In one characteristically unusual move Friday, he stormed out of the courtroom during closing arguments.
On Friday night, President Trump vowed to appeal the decision in a post on his social media network, Truth Social. . . . Our legal system is out of control and is being used as a political weapon. ”
Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said he believed President Trump's actions contributed to the jury's decision. „During the trial, he showed nothing but contempt and disdain for the people involved in the trial,“ Tobias said, adding, „He has not been disciplined and has shown nothing but contempt for the people involved in the trial.“ It is clear that he did not have that in mind,“ he added.
The defamation case is one of a number of legal challenges against Trump, ranging from the way he runs his business to allegations that he tried to overturn the 2020 election.
Despite the potential for hefty fines and prison time, Trump's legal troubles do not appear to have dampened the enthusiasm of Republican voters, who want him to win nominations in New Hampshire and Iowa. It delivered a decisive victory and solidified Trump's status as the front-runner. 2024 party presidential candidate.
Carroll, a former magazine reporter, accused Trump in 2019 of raping her in a dressing room at a Bergdorf Goodman department store around 1996. Her lawsuit came after her then-president called her a „fraud“ and claimed: he had never met her.
The most recent case seeks damages, if any, for a series of other statements Mr. Trump made about Ms. Carroll in 2019, when he was in the White House, including claims that he made up Ms. Carroll's story. The purpose was to consider whether or not to pay. Order to sell books. Judge Lewis Kaplan had previously ruled that Trump had defamed Carroll.
„I'm here because Donald Trump assaulted me, and when I wrote about it, he lied and destroyed my reputation,“ Trump said, shaking his head. Carroll, 80, told jurors during her testimony as she grimaced and looked on.
Her lawyer, Sean Crowley, accused President Trump of using „the biggest microphone on the planet“ to attack Carroll during his presidency. Crowley told the jury that he had received violent threats from his own supporters on social media and pointed out that Carroll now sleeps with a gun nearby.
Trump's lawyer, Alina Haba, countered that Carroll was using the accusations against her client to raise his profile and attract attention. President Trump, meanwhile, dismissed the case as another attempt to derail his own campaign.
The nine jurors selected for the trial were forced to take unusual security measures because of the heated atmosphere surrounding the former president. At one point, Kaplan threatened to ban Trump from the courtroom because he spoke too loudly while seated in the defense table. „I'm glad to hear that,“ he retorted.
Trump, who has been a frequent presence in the courtroom during the trial, took the stand Thursday with high expectations. But due to strict limits from Kaplan on what he could say, Trump's testimony lasted just a few minutes, with President Trump saying that his intention was not to hurt Carroll, but „to myself, to my family, and in fact to the President.“ It was about saving my job.“
„This is not America,“ he fumed as he left the courtroom Thursday.