Donald Trump was found guilty by a New York jury of defaming columnist E Jean Carroll in 2019 while he was US president, and he must pay $83.3 million (£65 million).
There will be $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages awarded to the jury in the civil trial. In a prior civil lawsuit, it was determined that Mr. Trump had sexually abused Ms. Carroll in the 1990s and defamed her. Referring to the case as a witch hunt and the verdict as “Absolutely ridiculous,” he vowed to contest the most recent decision.
The decision comes after a different jury in May declared Trump accountable for Carrol’s sexual abuse and defamation and mandated that he provide her with $5 million in damages. In civil trials, the preponderance of the evidence criterion is used to reach conclusions rather than determine guilt by implication.
Jurors were not asked whether Carroll was sexually assaulted; instead, they were asked how much Trump, 77, should compensate Carroll for two remarks he made while president in which he denied her claims.
After a fortuitous meeting at a department store in New York in 1996, Carroll accused Trump of pressing himself on her. Carroll was branded a “complete con job” by Trump, who refuted the accusation and claimed Carroll was only trying to increase the sales of her memoir.
Trump said on social media, “Our legal system is out of control and being used as a political weapon.” This isn’t America, folks!
Although Trump had been present at the trial earlier on Friday, he left the Manhattan courthouse during Carroll’s attorney’s closing statements.
The former president reappeared in court for portions of the proceedings and the closing speech from his attorney, but he fled again before the decision was made.
Additionally, Trump is awaiting a decision in a civil fraud trial in New York, where state attorneys are requesting the return of $370 million, which they allege are gains obtained unlawfully through loans and transactions involving financial statements that overstated his wealth.
In addition, Trump is the target of numerous criminal prosecutions. One such instance is in Georgia, where it is claimed that he plotted to reverse Joe Biden’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
