Of the four pending criminal cases former President Donald Trump is involved in, his defamation lawsuit with journalist E. Jean Carroll has reached a verdict. Trump has been ordered to pay an $83.3 million dollar settlement to Carroll.
Carroll argued Trump smeared her by saying her allegations of rape during a meeting in the 90s were an attempt to “sell a new book” on the campaign trail in 2019. Trump added Carroll was working on behalf of the Democratic party to make him look bad.
Carroll also sued Trump under a recent New York law which allows rape victims whose statute of limitations has lapsed to sue their attackers. Trump counter sued Carroll for telling reporters after the verdict that she had been raped, not just sexually assaulted, however the case was dismissed.
During closing arguments of the suit involving the 2019 comments, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan interrupted Carroll’s lawyer to note Trump had walked out of the courtroom.
Trump’s counsel, Alina Habba, was warned prior to the incident about going over time in her arguments. Judge Kaplan threatened “some time in the lockup” if the attorney refused to comply with the court’s orders.
Last year, Carroll testified that during a shopping trip to a Bergdorf Goodman department store, she met Trump who flirted with her before cornering her in one of the changing rooms. While the jury rejected the claim of rape, they did find Trump to be guilty of sexual abuse.
Trump has since defended himself on Truth Social, referring to Carroll as “sick” and a “whack job.” Carroll has reportedly acquired a firearm and electric fence for protection.
The plaintiff, Carroll, said she was shocked by the amount of money she was awarded by the jury and expressed she “would do a lot of good with the money.” She has expressed in interviews following the trial that her verdict was a “win for women” and hopes her story inspires more women who are victims of sexual violence.
Despite his charges and notable absence from the campaign trail, Trump’s approval ratings in the GOP have remained steady and have even increased in a few polls since the trial verdict.
Last week after losing the Nevada primary to “none of the candidates,” Nikki Haley went on to also lose the state’s caucus to Trump. He currently leads the primaries with 63 delegates to Haley’s 17.
Trump has not yet participated in a party debate in this Presidential election, and no further debates will be held until he agrees to participate. At this time, his only party competition is Haley following Ron DeSantis’ withdrawal from the race last month.
The E. Jean Carroll defamation suit is the first of his four pending criminal cases to be finalized. Trump is expected in court next week in his civil fraud case with the state of New York.
Just months ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trump remains the GOP front-runner in what is shaping up to be a rematch of the 2020 election.
