Trump Ordered to Pay $83 Million in Carroll Defamation Trial

A New York Jury ordered former President Donald Trump to pay over $83 million in damages to former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.

Details: Carroll claims Trump raped her in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in 1996. She has now successfully sued Trump twice for defamation regarding statements he made in denial of her accusations, claiming his statements harmed her reputation. In May 2023 a jury awarded Carroll $5 million after finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation against Carroll.

Key Quotes: The judge instructed the jurors to determine a punitive damages figure “intended to punish a defendant and deter his future defamatory statements.” Trump responded to the decision in a post on Truth Social, stating, “Absolutely ridiculous! I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party. Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum covered the verdict. Fox News (Right bias) included more quotations from Trump than seen in coverage from most left- and center-rated outlets. The Daily Beast (Left bias) tied the defamation case to the fraud case Trump also faces in New York City, determining the “combined one-two punch threatens to turn the billionaire’s finances upside down just as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination.”