Trump’s Second E. Jean Carroll Defamation Trial Begins Today. Here Are the Key Players.
SlateJan 31
Jury Determines Trump Should Pay $83.3M in Carroll Defamation Case
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The Facts
A federal grand jury determined Friday that former Pres. Donald Trump should pay $83.3M to E. Jean Carroll for defamatory statements made in 2019. This total is over eight times what Carroll had asked for and includes $18.3M in compensatory damages and $65M in punitive damages.
Last year, Trump was found to have sexually assaulted Carroll in the 1990s before defaming her by his public denial of the event.
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
Trump's arrogance and unapologetic behavior led to him having to pay far more in damages than what Carroll was seeking. In other cases currently being adjudicated, Trump has claimed he's worth more than the prosecutor's claim, so it's no surprise Carroll saw a much larger sum in the end.
Pro-Trump narrative
Kaplan's courtroom rules were not worthy of Trump's respect, considering the baseless accusations the judge has allowed Carroll to throw Trump's way. Like many people before during Trump's time as a prominent public figure, Carroll and Kaplan are trying to destroy Trump for political reasons.
