Trump news live: E Jean Carroll ‘elated’ after $83m defamation verdict

28 Jan 2024 • 5:29 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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An overjoyed E Jean Carroll cried and hugged her attorneys in a New York courtroom after a jury delivered an $83m verdict against Donald Trump on Friday.

Ms Carroll declined to speak as she left the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, but left no doubt about how she was feeling in a one-word post on X.

“Elation!!!” the former Elle advice columnist wrote.

After a trial notable for tense exchanges between Mr Trump’s defence lawyer Alina Habba and Judge Lewis Kaplan, the former president was ordered to pay the writer $11m towards a reputation repair programme, $7.3m in other compensatory damages, and punitive damages of $65m.

Mr Trump was not in court for the verdict, departing Lower Manhattan in his motorcade shortly before the verdict was read. Earlier in the day he stormed out of court during closing arguments but returned for the defence summation.

Meanwhile, Judge Kaplan advised jurors never to disclose they served on this jury, and the former president raged online.

The former president testified for just three minutes on Thursday under strict guidelines as to what he could say as a previous jury already found him liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll.