E Jean Carroll exits court after Trump ordered to pay $83.3m for defamation
Donald Trump was ordered to pay $83.3m in damages by a jury in New York on Friday for defaming writer E Jean Carroll.
After a trial notable for tense exchanges between Mr Trump’s defence lawyer Alina Habba and Judge Lewis Kaplan, the former president must pay the writer $11m towards a reputation repair programme, $7.3m in other compensatory damages, and punitive damages of $65m.
Mr Trump was not in court for the verdict, departing Lower Manhattan in his motorcade shortly before the verdict was read. Earlier in the day he stormed out of court during closing arguments but returned for the defence summation.
As the court was adjourned, Ms Carroll and her counsel embraced and cried.
“Elation,” she posted on X after the verdict.
Meanwhile, Judge Kaplan advised jurors never to disclose they served on this jury, and the former president raged online.
The former president testified for just three minutes on Thursday under strict guidelines as to what he could say as a previous jury already found him liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll in a department store dressing room in early 1996 and for subsequently defaming her.
Who is E Jean Carroll? The writer and TV host who took on Donald Trump
For decades, E Jean Carroll wrote columns advising women never to structure their lives around men. Then a rape allegation against the world’s most powerful man upended hers.
Bevan Hurley27 January 2024 17:00
Donald Trump rages about the border, but is silent on $83m defamation verdict
In the hours since a jury in New York delivered a stunning $83m defamation verdict against Donald Trump, the presidential candidate has made a series of posts on Truth Social about the border, Nikki Haley and made several political endorsements.
But he has been conspicuously silent about E Jean Carroll, after continuously attacking the writer throughout the trial.
Mr Trump shared several unflattering articles about Ms Haley, and touted his victory in the Iowa caucus.
He also raged that “A BAD BORDER DEAL IS FAR WORSE THAN NO BORDER DEAL!”.
But apart from one post bemoaning the “broken and unfair” justice system, he has not mentioned the verdict or Ms Carroll.
E Jean Carroll with her legal team outside after Friday’s verdict
(Reuters)
Bevan Hurley27 January 2024 16:30
Nikki Haley responds to $83m defamation verdict
Nikki Haley has said “America can do better” after her Republican presidential rival Donald Trump was ordered to pay $83m for defaming E Jean Carroll.
Ms Haley posted on X that Mr Trump’s legal battles were a distraction from the serious issues facing the United States.
“Donald Trump wants to be the presumptive Republican nominee and we’re talking about $83 million in damages,” Ms Haley wrote in the Friday night post.
“We’re not talking about fixing the border. We’re not talking about tackling inflation. America can do better than Donald Trump and Joe Biden.”
Bevan Hurley27 January 2024 15:59
Full story: Trump ordered to pay E Jean Carroll $83m for defamation
The nine-member jury awarded Ms Carroll $65m in punitive damages in addition to more than $18m in compensatory damages after he was previously found liable for sexual abuse and then smeared her sexual assault allegations as a lie, which fuelled abusive messages and death threats against her.
A verdict was delivered on Friday after roughly three hours of deliberation following a contentious two-week civil trial in a federal courtroom in Manhattan, where Mr Trump’s attorneys aggressively argued against Ms Carroll’s case while the former president repeatedly attacked and potentially defamed her in press conferences and in dozens of posts on his Truth Social.
Alex Woodward & Ariana Baio27 January 2024 15:30
Rudy Giuliani targets Donald Trump for ‘unpaid legal fees’ in new bankruptcy filing
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani has listed a claim against the one-term president over unpaid legal fees in a new bankruptcy filing.
The ex-New York City mayor includes a “possible claim for unpaid legal fees against Donald J Trump.” in the 26 January filing, which states that the amount is “undetermined.”
Matt Mathers27 January 2024 15:00
Fani Willis accused of injecting ‘racial animus’ in Georgia case by Trump attorneys
A complaint filed by Mr Trump’s defence attorneys on Thursday accuses Ms Willis of injecting “racial animus” in the case and violating her prosecutorial responsibilities, pointing to allegations that she hired an outside prosecutor with whom she was romantically involved.
The motion from Mr Trump’s lawyers Steve Sadow and Jennifer Little follows allegations from co-defendant Mike Roman, who alleged in a court filing that Ms Willis appointed Nathan Wade as lead prosecutor in the case while engaging in a romantic relationship with him.
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2024 14:30
‘Pathetically weak’: Republicans condemned for bowing to Trump on border deal
Republican lawmakers who have got behind Donald Trump‘s call to reject a bipartisan border deal sparked outrage on both sides of the aisle.
The one-term president privately directed some Republican senators to avoid making a bipartisan compromise over the US southern border, denying Joe Biden a campaign win, an anonymous source told HuffPost.
“Trump wants to kill it because he doesn’t want Biden to have a victory,” the source said. “He told them he will fix the border when he is president… He said he only wants the perfect deal.”
Kelly Rissman27 January 2024 13:30
Giuliani targets Donald Trump for ‘unpaid legal fees’ in new bankruptcy filing
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani has listed a claim against the one-term president over unpaid legal fees in a new bankruptcy filing.
The ex-New York City mayor includes a “possible claim for unpaid legal fees against Donald J Trump.” in the 26 January filing, which states that the amount is “undetermined.”
Mr Giuliani represented Mr Trump in a string of unsuccessful lawsuits contesting the results of the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden.
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2024 12:30
Why Trump’s demand for loyalty will make it impossible for him to govern
Eric Garcia looks at how Donald Trump’s need for loyalty could upend any possible agenda in a White House return…
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2024 11:00
Judge warns Trump jurors to never reveal themselves
“My advice to you is that you never disclose that you were on this jury,” Judge Lewis Kaplan said in the courtroom.
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2024 09:30