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Photo: Peter K. Afriyeh/AP
A New York jury on Friday afternoon delivered a major blow to former President Donald Trump, awarding him $83.3 million in damages after he was found liable last year for defaming author E. Jean Carroll. commanded. The jury found that Trump should pay Carroll $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages.
The deliberations, which began early Friday afternoon, took just under three hours. Trump was in court for some closing arguments, but in his motorcade When the results were known, I flew to Las Vegas later that day. He immediately slammed the result on his own social media site, TruthSocial, calling it “absolutely ridiculous.”
“I completely disagree with both rulings and intend to challenge the entire Biden-led witch hunt focused on me and the Republican Party,” he said.
Notably, President Trump continued to share Carroll’s endless posts on social media for several days in an attempt to undermine her credibility, and then continued to mention Carroll by name even after the verdict was handed down. I didn’t.
Outside court, Trump’s lawyer Alina Haba criticized the case and the process that led to this outcome.
“I’m very proud to stand by President Trump, but I’m not proud of what I saw in court,” she said.
In closing arguments Friday, Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan, who is not affiliated with the judge, told jurors that large monetary penalties are not the only way to stop Trump, citing his vast wealth. and urged him to seek at least $24 million in damages. The former president’s comments about her client.
“Donald Trump may not care about the law, but he certainly doesn’t care about the truth. He cares about money,” she said, according to CNN. “As a result, your decision to award significant punitive damages may be Ms. Carroll’s only hope of ever again being free from Donald Trump’s relentless attacks.”
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Haba, argued that Trump was not ultimately responsible for the hate and threats Carroll received online after she denied the allegations. “President Trump doesn’t have to pay a price for their threats. He won’t tolerate them. He was just telling the truth,” she said, according to NBC News.
After the verdict was handed down, Judge Lewis Kaplan gave a final warning to the jury, who remained anonymous throughout the process due to the high-profile nature of the case.
“My advice to you is never to reveal that you were on this juror,” he said. politiko.
In 2019, new york It published excerpts from Carroll’s book in which she publicly accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. President Trump forcefully denied Carroll’s claims, claiming the former: Elle The columnist was lying and said they had never met before. Carroll later sued Trump for defamation, claiming that Trump’s comments hurt her character and affected her professionally. In May, a jury found the former president liable for both sexual abuse and defamation, and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
The Carroll decision marks the beginning of a busy legal calendar for President Trump. He is awaiting a verdict in state Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud case, which recently heard closing arguments. Also under consideration are Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the events of January 6, President Trump’s mishandling of classified documents, and the Georgia election interference scandal.
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