Trump found liable of battery, defamation in E. Jean Carroll case

The jury granted $1 million in compensation, $1.7 million for the restoration of reputation, and $280,000 in punishment damages.

Carroll, who brought the lawsuit in November, alleged that Trump defamed her in his 2022 Truth Social post by calling her allegations "a Hoax and a lie" and saying "This woman is not my type!" when he denied her claim that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.

Under a newly enacted law in New York, which enables adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged attackers irrespective of the statute of limitations, the ex-columnist of Elle magazine included a claim of battery. Trump has refuted all accusations of defamation or rape against Carroll.

Carroll was granted $5 million by the jury in the lawsuit, who determined that while Trump did not commit the act of rape, he did engage in sexual abuse and was subsequently ordered to pay $2 million for compensatory damages and $20,000 for battery as punitive damages.

The jury gave a compensation of $1 million for losses, $1.7 million for restoring a reputation, and $280,000 for disciplinary damages.

After deliberating for less than three hours, the jury came to its decision.

Approximately twenty-four women have accused Trump of sexual impropriety, however, Carroll's accusation of battery was the first one to be presented in court.

As the verdict was announced, Carroll found herself sandwiched between her lawyers, Roberta Kaplan and Shawn Crowley. While holding hands with Kaplan, Carroll received a consoling arm from Crowley.

Joe Tacopina, who is a defense attorney, was observed having discussions with his co-counselors Chad Siegel and Perry Brandt.

Trump took to social media before the start of deliberations to express his frustrations about not being able to defend himself in a false accusation case. Despite being a political candidate leading all parties, he was not allowed to speak. Meanwhile, he was being targeted by hard-nosed reporters while the other side was working with the press on a book falsely accusing him of rape. He stated that he would refrain from speaking until after the trial, but would appeal against the unconstitutional silencing imposed on him as a candidate, regardless of the outcome.

Early in the trial the judge had admonished the defense over Trump's social media posts about Carroll and her allegations. The judge did not address this most recent post, but previously indicated that if Trump wanted to speak about the case he should testify under oath, which Trump declined to do.

When a defendant chooses not to testify in a civil case, jurors are permitted to make an unfavorable conclusion.

During the trial, Michael Ferrara, Carroll's attorney, informed the jurors that he simply chose not to appear and did not deny raping Ms. Carroll by looking her in the eye.

During the trial, Carroll stated that she encountered Trump by the entrance of Bergdorf Goodman and he requested her assistance in purchasing lingerie as a present. She recounted that the two were engaged in laughter and banter when he proceeded to guide her into a changing room, close the door, press her against a wall, and commit a sexual assault.

During her testimony, she informed the jury that her initial encounter with Trump occurred in 1987. However, she experienced difficulty recalling the exact date of the alleged assault, which she approximated to have taken place in the vicinity of 1996.

"Why isn't there a specific date for such an important event in someone's life?" argued lawyer Joe Tacopina. "This is not a coincidence. Without a date, month or year, an alibi cannot be established."

During Carroll's legal proceedings, Trump's lawyers focused on his deposition from the previous year. In that deposition, he was presented with a photo from the 1980s that featured Carroll, her ex-husband John Johnson, himself, and his ex-wife Ivana Trump. For a brief moment, he appeared to mistake Carroll for his second wife, Marla Maples.

During the deposition, Trump identified Carroll as Marla and acknowledged that she was his spouse.

Carroll's legal team contended in court that Donald Trump preferred individuals like E. Jean Carroll, who was a former cheerleader and Ms. Indiana.

In a comparison made by Carroll's lawyers, they linked Trump's false identification with his comments from the well-known 2005 "Access Hollywood" recording. The recording features Trump making inappropriate comments about women, such as "I just start kissing them ... I don't even wait," and stating that as a celebrity, he can "grab them by the p----."

Carroll's lawyer asked, "Why is Donald Trump present in this situation? He is displaying his behavior towards women through his own words. It is his usual way of functioning."

In addition, two other women testified before the jury that they were sexually assaulted by Trump. Carroll's lawyers argued that this demonstrated a habitual course of action by Trump. One of the women was Natasha Stoynoff, a former writer for People magazine, who recounted an incident at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in 2005. Trump invited Stoynoff to a room, shut the door, and forcibly kissed her against the wall. Stoynoff tried to push him away and their interaction ended when a butler walked in.

During a flight to New York in 1979, Jessica Leeds sat next to Trump in the first-class section and claimed that he unexpectedly kissed and touched her. She managed to release herself when Trump proceeded to place his hand up her skirt, and then angrily left for the coach section.

Trump opted not to testify in his defense, but he has denied accusations from both women and Carroll in the past.

No witnesses were called by the defense, but Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, stated that Carroll's accusation was "a work of fiction that is hard to believe." He added that if the attacker in question was not Donald Trump, then the trial wouldn't be happening and this story would not be relevant

The attorney expressed that their desire is for you to dislike him so much that you disregard the truth.

According to Tacopina's statement to the jury, there is no factual proof that supports her allegation, and this includes the absence of a police report. Tacopina adds that her client never reported the incident to the police because it did not occur.

Tacopina claimed that Trump attacked Carroll publicly because she had made false accusations of rape against him. He also stated that there was no need for Trump to be involved since her story lacked credibility and was fabricated, as she could not identify a specific time when the alleged rape occurred.

"If Donald Trump were to testify, what sort of questions could I pose to him?" Tacopina pondered. "Perhaps inquiring about his whereabouts on a specific yet unidentified date from 27 or 28 years ago?"

The second lawsuit that Carroll filed against Trump was in connection with her claim of being raped.

Earlier in 2019, she took legal action against Trump for disputing her allegation of rape through comments he made to The Hill, in which he declared Carroll was "totally lying" and claimed: "I'll say it with great respect: No.1, she's not my type. No.2, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" The legal case of defamation has been embroiled in a procedural dispute about whether Trump, as president, was performing his official duties as a representative of the federal government when he uttered those statements.

If Trump is determined to have been acting as a government employee, the U.S. government would substitute as the defendant in that suit -- which means that case would go away, since the government cannot be sued for defamation.

Trump is currently attempting to secure the presidency for a third time, and is simultaneously contending with a series of legal issues pertaining to the Capitol attack on January 6, his handling of classified information following his departure from the White House, and his potential interference with Georgia's 2020 election. Fani Willis, the District Attorney for Fulton County, has disclosed that she will be determining whether or not to bring criminal charges against Trump or any of his supporters during the summer.

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