A New York jury on Friday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay a total of $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll as compensation for damaging her credibility by calling her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault.
The jury awarded E. Jean Carroll $65 million as punitive damages, $11 million for the harm caused to her reputation, and an additional $7.3 million as compensation. Trump is expected to appeal the decision.
Despite the size of the penalty, the verdict was not unexpected. Judge Lewis Kaplan had already stated before the trial that Trump had indeed defamed Carroll. The jury’s task was only to determine how much Trump owed her, not whether he was liable. This marks the second time Trump has been ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll; last year, a jury ordered him to pay $5 million in a separate defamation case.
In response, the Trump 2024 campaign released a statement, presenting arguments without providing any evidence, stating that the case is a ‘political tool.’
“Absolutely amusing!” the statement said. “I completely disagree with both verdicts, and I will appeal against this entire Biden-directed witch hunt targeting me and the Republican Party.
This decision comes just days after Trump secured victory in the New Hampshire primary and maintained a lead in the GOP. This case is one of several involving Trump, awaiting a decision in a civil case that could potentially require him to pay at least $250 million to the state of New York, which a judge has deemed as fraud related to his business practices.
He could also face restrictions on conducting business in that state, where he had established himself as a real estate mogul. In total, Trump faces scrutiny in federal and state investigations, involving 91 allegations, ranging from issues in New York to federal cases related to the January 6th Capitol riots.
What’s this case about?
In 2019, advice columnist and independent writer E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s. The details of her allegations were first outlined in a preview of her book published in a New York Magazine article. Following the article’s publication, Trump issued two statements in response, one of which outright rejected her claims, stating, ‘She’s not my type.’
At that time, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump, arguing that his comments had damaged her reputation as a credible source in the media. Consequently, she faced derogatory and threatening messages, emails, and comments on her social media accounts.
During this period, Trump’s Attorney General, Bill Barr, argued that the case should be halted, asserting that Trump had made comments within his official capacity as President. This led to the case being stuck in court for several years.
In 2023, the Biden Justice Department reversed course, allowing the defamation case to proceed. Due to the partial resolution in 2023, where Trump was found liable for the attack, Judge Kaplan ruled that Trump had defamed E. Jean Carroll in 2019, and the former president was now held accountable.
What did the testimony reveal?
E. Jean Carroll herself was the first witness to take the stand – face-to-face with Trump, participating in the trial just days before the proceedings began.
E. Jean Carroll testified that she felt as if Trump had ‘ended the world she was living in’ by calling her a liar.
She mentioned that while she used to receive hundreds of emails seeking advice through her column, she now receives less than 10 emails a month. Instead of support, she received threats and insults. E. Jean Carroll’s lawyers presented several social media posts, messages, and emails sent to her in the days following Trump’s statements.
E. Jean Carroll stated, ‘I filed the lawsuit to reclaim my reputation.’
However, Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, argued that the damages should not be attributed directly to Trump. Habba showed the jury several social media posts but emphasized that these were posted within a five-hour ‘window’ after Carroll’s allegations were published and Trump responded to those comments.
Habba also focused on praising Carroll for her support and sympathy and raised questions about the author’s motives in pursuing the case and removing threats sent to her emails.
On allegations of Carroll lying, Trump launched a counter-attack.
After weeks of refraining from adopting a witness stand, Trump finally did so on January 25th. However, it was brief – just a few minutes.
In his testimony, he stated that he stands by his previous statements ‘100%.’ When asked if he ever instructed anyone to harm Carroll, Trump denied doing so, expressing his intent to defend himself, his family, and his presidency.
Besides his testimony, Trump remained present in court for several days, openly discussing the case outside the courtroom.
During the first day of testimony, Judge Kaplan reprimanded him for commenting during Carroll’s testimony. Carroll’s lawyers argued twice that they could hear him, and the jury could also hear him. Kaplan warned Trump that his right to remain present could be revoked.
Trump addressed campaign rallies in Iowa and New Hampshire and spoke to reporters in New York, consistently expressing his belief that the case is a politically motivated intervention in the election – often reiterating claims that were subjects of ongoing lawsuits against him.
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