Has America’s justice system been completely destroyed? Some believe so.
Former President Donald Trump has been held responsible for battery and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll case by a jury.
According to ABC, in November, Carroll filed a lawsuit in which she accused Trump of defaming her through his 2022 Truth Social post. She claimed that Trump’s statement, in which he referred to her allegations as “a Hoax and a lie” and stated that “This woman is not my type!” while denying her accusation that he had sexually assaulter her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s, was defamatory.
Under a new law in New York that permits adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged attackers irrespective of the statute of limitations, Carroll added a charge of battery. The former Elle magazine columnist has accused Trump of both battery and defamation. Trump has denied all allegations made against him by Carroll, including the accusations of rape and defamation.
Shockingly, the jury has granted a total of $5 million to Carroll as compensation in the lawsuit. The jury concluded that Trump did not rape Carroll but instead sexually abused her, and has granted damages of $2 million in compensatory damages and $20,000 in punitive damages for battery.
The jury has granted a total of $2.98 million in damages for defamation. This includes $1 million in damages, $1.7 million for reputation repair, and $280,000 in punitive damages.
After deliberating for nearly three hours, the jury reached its verdict.
Around two dozen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, but he has denied all of these allegations. Carroll’s accusation of battery was the first to be heard by a jury.
Trump immediately reacted to the verdict on social media and wrote, “I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!“
During the reading of the verdict, Carroll was positioned between her two lawyers, Roberta Kaplan and Shawn Crowley. Crowley had placed her arm around Carroll at one point, while Carroll held hands with Kaplan.