E. Jean Carroll, a veteran advice columnist, has recently secured a substantial sum in a defamation lawsuit against former U.S. President Donald Trump.
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Also read: Defending Trump: Alina Habba’s Strategies Draw Sharp Criticism in Trial
Origins of the Defamation Case
The legal dispute originated from Carroll’s rape accusation against Trump, extensively detailed in a June 2019 article published in New York magazine. This article, featuring an excerpt from her forthcoming book, “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal,” alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a high-end Manhattan department store in the early months of 1996.
Trump vehemently denied these accusations, asserting that he had never crossed paths with Carroll and suggesting that her book belonged in the fiction section. Carroll deemed these denials defamatory, leading to her defamation lawsuit against Trump in 2019.
The Jury’s Decision
Recently, a jury rendered a substantial verdict, awarding Carroll a total of $83.3 million as a potent rebuke to Trump for his ongoing social media attacks against her. This amount encompasses $18.3 million in compensatory damages and a staggering $65 million in punitive retribution.
This judgment comes less than a year after Carroll previously secured $5 million in a separate trial related to sexual abuse allegations against the former president. The jury’s focus was solely on determining financial penalties to address the harm caused to Carroll’s reputation and to dissuade Trump from making further defamatory statements.
Trump’s Response to E. Jean Carroll
Trump, known for his flamboyant demeanor, did not attend Carroll’s initial trial but was present at the second. During the closing arguments of the defamation trial, he abruptly left as Carroll’s legal representative urged the jury to consider awarding a minimum of $24 million in damages for the perceived “storm of hate” generated by Trump’s actions.
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