NEW YORK, JANUARY 27,2024 (ozi news desk):
jury made a significant decision by granting E Jean Carroll a staggering amount of USD 83.3 million. This verdict serves as a powerful and costly reprimand to former President Donald Trump for his relentless social media attacks against the esteemed advice columnist. Carroll had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store. When combined with the USD 5 million sexual assault and defamation verdict from a previous case, Trump’s total payment to Carroll now amounts to a staggering $88.3 million. Despite his strong objections, Trump expressed his intention to appeal the decision. As the jury delivered its verdict, an elated Carroll, 80, tightly held her lawyers’ hands and beamed with a smile. Shortly after, she shared an emotional three-way hug with her legal team, marking a significant moment in her pursuit of justice.
Upon exiting the Manhattan federal courthouse, she chose not to provide any comments. However, she later released a statement through her publicist, expressing her satisfaction with the outcome. In her statement, she emphasized that this triumph is not only significant for herself but also for all women who have faced adversity and refused to be silenced. Furthermore, she highlighted that this verdict serves as a resounding defeat for those who have attempted to oppress and undermine women.
In a surprising turn of events, Trump made an appearance at the trial earlier in the day, only to abruptly leave the courtroom during the closing arguments presented by Carroll’s attorney. However, he did return later on to listen to his own attorney’s closing argument and even stayed for a portion of the deliberations. Nevertheless, Trump left the courthouse half an hour before the verdict was announced, expressing his discontent with the legal system in a statement, calling it “absolutely ridiculous” and claiming that it is being used as a political weapon. This marked the second time in just nine months that a civil jury had reached a verdict regarding Carroll’s allegations of a forceful encounter with Trump back in 1996 at Bergdorf Goodman’s Fifth Avenue store. Carroll claimed that Trump had forcefully pushed her against a dressing room wall, removed her tights, and sexually assaulted her.
In the month of May, a separate panel of jurors granted Carroll a sum of USD 5 million. This particular jury concluded that Trump was not legally responsible for the act of rape, but held him accountable for sexually mistreating Carroll and subsequently defaming her by asserting that she fabricated the incident. Trump has initiated an appeal against this verdict as well.
