What to know about E. Jean Carroll’s defamation damages case:
- A New York jury reached a quick verdict awarding E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages in her suit that former President Donald Trump defamed her.
- Trump stormed out of the closing arguments, leaving the courtroom while an attorney representing Carroll spoke. He returned to hear his own attorney speak.
- After the verdict, Trump called it "absolutely ridiculous" and said an appeal was forthcoming. Carroll called the verdict a "great victory."
- A jury found Trump liable last year for sexually abusing Carroll in a New York department store in the 1990s and defaming her after she wrote about the incident.
After only several hours of deliberations, a federal jury in New York returned its damages verdict against Trump, ordering him to pay Carroll $83.3 million in compensatory and punitive damages for defaming her. The case stems from Trump’s defamatory comments about Carroll after she accused him of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s.
Carroll calls verdict a 'great victory'
In a statement tonight, Carroll celebrated the verdict by calling it a "great victory."
"This is a great victory for every woman who stands up when she’s been knocked down, and a huge defeat for every bully who has tried to keep a woman down," she said, before going on to thank her attorney.
Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement that the verdict shows no one is above the law.
"Today’s verdict proves that the law applies to everyone in our country, even the rich, even the famous, even former presidents," the attorney said. "There is a way to stand up to someone like Donald Trump who cares more about wealth, fame, and power than respecting the law."
Kaplan also thanked the jury and praised Carroll for "standing up to a bully."
Trump lawyer Alina Habba says they will appeal the verdict
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Trump lawyer Alina Habba said they would “immediately” appeal today's verdict.
In response to a reporter’s question about whether she was having second thoughts about being Trump's attorney, Habba said representing him was "the proudest thing I could ever do."
Habba also said Americans were seeing a "violation of our justice system," and criticized not being able to bring up certain points in court that she said were part of Trump's defense.
After her remarks to reporters, Habba tweeted: "This is far from over."
"We are just getting started," she added on X.
Carroll departs courthouse flanked by her attorneys
Carroll paused for photos with her attorneys outside of the courthouse before her departure around 5 p.m.
She did not appear to answer shouted questions from reporters.
Trump calls verdict 'absolutely ridiculous'
Trump posted his reaction to the verdict on Truth Social just minutes after it was announced, saying that he would move to appeal.
"Absolutely ridiculous!" Trump said. "I fully disagree with both verdicts," adding that he will be appealing the decision and blaming Democrats for the civil lawsuit.
He went on to argue that the legal system was being used as a "political weapon" and argued that "they have taken away all First Amendment rights."
"This is not America!" he wrote in all caps at the end of his post.
In a subsequent post, Trump said: "There is no longer Justice in America. Our Judicial System is Broken and Unfair!"
Here's how the jury's verdict breaks down
Here's a breakdown of the jury's $83.3 million verdict:
- $7.3 million in compensatory damages outside of the reputation repair program
- $11 million in compensatory damages for a reputation repair program only
- $65 million in punitive damages
Trial adjourned
The trial was adjourned at around 4:45 p.m.
The jury has awarded $83.3 million in damages
The jury has awarded a verdict of $83.3 million to Carroll.
Jury has returned
The jury is back in the courtroom and a verdict will be read shortly.
The jury has reached a verdict
The jury has reached a verdict in the Carroll case after less than three hours of deliberation.