29 January 2024 , 16:55
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After a jury awarded columnist E Jean Carroll $83 million (£65.4m) over former President Donald Trump 's defamatory statements, she has vowed she will use the money for "something Donald Trump hates".
It took jurors less than three hours on Friday to return a verdict that Trump should pay Ms Carroll more than $83m in damages after the former President stormed out of the courtroom. The hefty sum of compensation was for defamatory statements made by the Republican presidential frontrunner in 2019, after she alleged Trump sexually assaulted her in 1996.
Now, following the three-week trial, she has said she will ensure that the money goes toward something that will make him uncomfortable. Speaking to George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America she explained: "If It'll cause him pain for me to give money to certain things, that's my intent."
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Ms Carroll appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the verdict and share her plans (ABC)She suggested the idea that she would use the compensation to create a "fund for the women who have been sexually assaulted by Donald Trump." The 2024 election hopeful has repeatedly denied the allegation made by Ms Carroll since 2019.
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He attended five days of the defamation rial, which included giving his own testimony to double down on his claims. On Friday, after the verdict came in, he vowed to appeal the result.
Ms Carroll spent five days in court sitting just feet from the man she accused of sexually assaulting her. But, she said her fears leading up to the trial about interacting with the businessman disappeared as soon as the trial began.
"It was like he was like nothing, like an emperor without clothes," she explained. "All my terror leading up to it, and there he is. He's just something in a suit."
Ms Carroll was all smiles as she left court on Friday following the verdict in the Trump defamation case (J Mayer/REX/Shutterstock)
Trump appeared defiant as he left Trump Tower to head to court on Thursday (Andrea Renault/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)A separate jury found last year that Trump had sexually assaulted Ms Carrol and defamed her, awarding her $5 million (£3.9m) in damages. He did not make an appearance in last year's trial, but this year, his in-person attendance drew attention and interrupted the proceedings.
The former President was heard muttering defamatory statements within earshot of the jury and caused a scene when he walked out during the closing statement of Ms Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan. Ms Kaplan, however, said Trump's behaviour simply backed up the central argument to her case that Trump is "a bully who can't follow the rules."
Reflecting on the dramatic moment Trump stormed out of the courtroom during closing arguments, Ms Kaplan said: "I definitely thought we got a few more million dollars immediately... I was like, well that's worth about $10 million".
E Jean Carroll poses with her team and supporters outside federal court in Manhattan following the verdict (Melissa Bender/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)Trump's exit from the courtroom came just minutes before jurors left to deliberate. And a few hours after he stormed out, the jury came back with a unanimous verdict, awarding Ms Carrol $83.3 million. When the jury left the courtroom, Ms Carroll and her lawyers were spotting holding hands and exchanging smiles with some of the jurors.
"It made me burst into tears because they met my eyes for the first time," Ms Carroll recalled about seeing the jurors. Ms Kaplan said she is confident they will be able to collect the full amount, explaining Trump could either pay a bond or deposit the money in full until he appeals.
"I'm pretty confident one way or the other," she said. "We might not get it right away. But one way or the other, he owns a lot of real estate. It can be sold. We will collect the judgement."
In the days following the verdict, Trump has not mentioned Ms Carroll by name, but she isn't confident that the former president will keep from making defamatory statements about her in future. Her lawyer said "all options are on the table" if Trump does decide to defame her client again.
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Trump's lawyer Alina Habba, right of Trump in this image, was reprimanded by the judge in court (Getty Images)"If we have to bring another case, we'll bring another case. It's just going to be more money," said Ms Kaplan. Following the verdict, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to share his views on the outcome, branding it "absolutely ridiculous!"
"I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be applying this whole Biden directed witch hunt focused on me and the Republican Party," he wrote. "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!"
President Joe Biden has no part in the case, which is just one of the many Trump is facing as he continues on a path he hopes will lead him back to the White House. He later added: "There is no longer justice in America. Our judicial system is broken and unfair."
Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, also protested the verdict. She said: "I'm not having any second thoughts about representing President Trump. It is the proudest thing I could ever do. What I'm having second thoughts about is the [law] license that I stand here with, that the people in there are supposed to have."