A federal jury on Tuesday found former President Donald Trump liable of battery and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll. The court rejected her claim that he raped her. The former president was ordered to pay over $5 million in damages.
The report stated: “In finding Trump liable for battery, the jury awarded Carroll $2 million in compensatory damages, along with $20,000 in punitive damages. For the defamation claim, the jury awarded her $2.7 million in compensatory damages and an additional $280,000 for punitive damages, finding that Trump had acted “maliciously, out of hatred, ill will, spite or wanton, reckless, or willful disregard of the rights of another” when he accused her of inventing the story.”
The court also declared: U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan read instructions on the law to the nine-person jury before the panel began discussing Carroll’s allegations of battery and defamation shortly before noon.
Kaplan told jurors that the first question on the verdict form was to decide whether they think there is more than a 50% chance that Trump raped Carroll inside a store dressing room. If they answered yes, they would then decide whether compensatory and punitive damages should be awarded.
If they answered no on the rape question, they could then decide if Trump subjected her to lesser forms of assault involving sexual contact without her consent or forcible touching to degrade her or gratify his sexual desire. If they answered yes on either of those questions, they will decide if damages are appropriate.
On defamation claims stemming from a statement Trump made on social media last October, Kaplan said jurors needed to be guided by a higher legal standard — clear and convincing evidence.
He said they would have to agree it was “highly probable” that Trump’s statement was false and was made maliciously with deliberate intent to injure or out of hatred or ill will with reckless disregard for Carroll’s rights.”
Trump responded with a post on Truth Social:
I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!
BREAKING: A Manhattan jury just found Donald Trump liable in a civil lawsuit for E. Jean Carroll's claims of abuse and defamation but REJECTS her claim that he raped her in the 90s.
She's the lady who said "rape is sexy" on CNN.
Her lawsuit was also entirely funded by Democrat… pic.twitter.com/8fTgMaI7Aj
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 9, 2023
