A jury awarded former Elle Magazine writer E. Jean Carroll a total of $83.3 million in damages Friday in her defamation trial against former President Donald Trump.
The jury awarded her $65 million in punitive damages and $18.3 million in compensatory damages after Trump allegedly acted maliciously in his remarks about Carroll, according to Politico legal reporter Erica Orden. Carroll sued the former president for alleged defamatory statements he made about her in 2019 and for calling her a “whack job” during a CNN town hall in May.
The jury ruled Trump should pay $11 million to fund a reputation repair program and $7.3 million for the emotional harm Carroll suffered due to Trump saying she accused him of rape to sell a book in 2019.
Carroll requested $10 million in compensatory damages for “injury to her reputation, humiliation and mental anguish in her public and private life.” She further asked for an unspecified amount in punitive damages.
Verdict in Carroll v. Trump
Jury says Donald Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll:
COMPENSATORY:
Other than reputation repair program: $7.3M
Reputation repair program: $11MPUNITIVE: $65M
TOTAL: $83.3M
— erica orden (@eorden) January 26, 2024
Trump called the decision “absolutely ridiculous” and warned the legal system was being used as a “political weapon.” (RELATED: Trump’s Legal Team Gets Big Shakeup)
“Absolutely ridiculous! 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!” Trump wrote.
Carroll previously took Trump to court over allegations of rape, sexual battery and defamation. While not being found liable of rape, the jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages and found Trump liable of sexual battery and defamation in May 2023.
Carroll accused the former president of raping her inside a dressing room at Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman department store in 1995 or 1996. Trump called Carroll’s story “fake” and said he had “never met her” or had any idea who she was during the town hall with CNN.
Trump countersued Carroll for defamation in late June after Carroll publicly insisted he raped her. A federal judge dismissed his countersuit in an Aug. 2023 decision, arguing Carroll’s remarks about him raping her were “substantially true” since the jury decided Trump “digitally” penetrated her and didn’t use his genitalia.
During closing arguments Friday, Trump abruptly left the courtroom as Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, told the jury he was a liar who believed “the rules don’t apply to him.”
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is unrelated to Carroll’s lawyer, interrupted the attorney’s closing argument to announce the former president’s abrupt departure.
“The record will reflect that Mr. Trump just rose and walked out of the courtroom,” Kaplan reportedly said.
Lewis Kaplan threatened Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba with jail time for reportedly speaking out of order. Habba argued about the judge’s decision not to show a slide of Twitter posts not previously used as evidence.