Jury orders former US President Donald Trump to pay over $83M in defamation case

A federal jury has ordered Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll, who accused the former president of defamation

Donald Trump on Friday was ordered by a federal jury to pay $83.3 million in damages to former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who accused the former president of damaging her reputation by calling her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault.

Carroll, 80, had sued Trump, saying that he destroyed her reputation as a trustworthy journalist by denying he raped her nearly three decades ago.

Friday’s verdict was the second time in nine months that a jury addressed Carroll’s claim that Trump assaulted her in a New York City department store in 1996.

Another jury last May found Trump liable for sexual abuse and ordered him to pay $5 million. This defamation trial was over things Trump said about Carroll while he was president. Trump continues to insist he was falsely accused.

Trump, 77, claimed that he had never heard of Carroll, and that she made up her story to boost sales of her memoir. His lawyers said Carroll was hungry for fame and enjoyed the attention from supporters for speaking out against her nemesis.

Source: Newsroom