Donald Trump is asked to pay millions to writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her : NPR

A New York jury on Friday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay a complete of $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll for ruining her credibility as an recommendation columnist when he known as her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault.

The jury awarded Carroll $65 million in punitive damages, $11 million for the injury to her repute and one other $7.3 million. Trump is nearly sure to enchantment the decision.

Regardless of the scale of the penalty, the decision was not surprising. Decide Lewis Kaplan dominated even earlier than the trial that Trump had the truth is defamed Carroll. The jury solely needed to determine how a lot Trump owed her — not if he was liable. That is the second time Trump has been ordered pay Carroll; final yr he was mandated by a jury to pay $5 million for a separate occasion of defamation.

The jury’s determination comes simply days after Trump gained the New Hampshire main and have become the GOP front-runner. The case is considered one of a number of involving Trump, who can be awaiting a verdict in a civil trial that might end in him paying not less than $250 million to New York state for his enterprise practices, which have been deemed by a decide to be fraudulent.

He is also prohibited from doing enterprise within the state the place he made his identify as an actual property mogul. In all, Trump faces 91 fees in federal and state trials, starting from those in New York to these on the federal stage associated to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

What this case is about

In 2019, Carroll, an recommendation columnist and freelance author, accused Trump of sexually assaulting her within the ’90s. The accusation, which was detailed in her e-book, was first previewed in a New York journal article. After publication, Trump issued two statements in response to reporters, together with one by which he outright denied her declare and mentioned she was “not my kind.”

Carroll then sued Trump for defamation, arguing that his feedback ruined her repute as a trusted supply within the media, and resulted in a slew of insults and threatening messages, emails and feedback to her social media accounts.

On the time, Trump’s Legal professional Common Invoice Barr blocked the lawsuit, arguing Trump had made the feedback in his official capability as president. This induced the lawsuit to be caught in courtroom for a number of years.

In 2023, Biden’s Justice Division reversed course and allowed the primary lawsuit on defamation to maneuver ahead. Partly due to the 2023 determination that had discovered Trump answerable for assault, Decide Kaplan dominated that Trump had defame Carroll in 2019 and that the previous president was additionally liable.

What testimony confirmed

Carroll herself was the primary witness to take the stand — placing her nose to nose with Trump, who attended the primary few days of the trial.

Carroll testified that she felt as if Trump calling her a liar “ended the world I had been dwelling in.”

Whereas she used to obtain a whole lot of emails asking for recommendation to her column electronic mail, she mentioned, she now obtained fewer than 10 a month. As a substitute, she mentioned, she obtained threats and insults. Carroll’s lawyer confirmed the jury a number of social media posts, messages and emails despatched to Carroll within the following days after Trump’s statements.

“I sued to get my repute again,” Carroll mentioned.

However Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, argued damages ought not be traced again to Trump himself. Habba additionally confirmed the jury a number of social media posts, however these had been posted within the five-hour “hole” between Carroll’s allegations being printed and Trump making the feedback he’s being sued over.

Habba additionally targeted on the reward and assist Carroll obtained for her allegation and questioned the author’s motive for suing and for deleting threats despatched to her electronic mail.

Trump doubled down on allegations Carroll is mendacity

After weeks of vowing to take the witness stand in his protection, Trump lastly did so on Jan. 25. However it was short-lived — just a few minutes.

In testimony he mentioned he “100%” stood by his earlier deposition. Requested by his lawyer if he ever instructed anybody to harm Carroll, Trump mentioned that he did not, and simply wished to defend himself, his household and his presidency.

Past his testimony, Trump was current for a number of days of the trial and was vocal in regards to the case outdoors the courtroom.

Through the first day of testimony, he was reprimanded by Decide Kaplan for making feedback throughout Carroll’s time on the stand. Carroll’s attorneys twice flagged that they may hear him and the jury would possibly be capable to as nicely. Kaplan warned Trump that his proper to be current could possibly be taken away.

Trump additionally spoke out throughout marketing campaign rallies in Iowa and New Hampshire, and to reporters in New York, about his perception this trial is election interference — usually reiterating claims much like these he was being sued over.