Following his initial victory in the race for the Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump found himself at the onset of a defamation trial in a New York courtroom on Tuesday. The case, initiated by writer E. Jean Carroll, stemmed from a previous lawsuit where a jury had found Trump guilty of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s.
During the trial, Carroll’s attorney, Shawn Crowley, informed the jury that the former president had significantly impacted her life after she publicly revealed in 2019 that he had assaulted her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996. Crowley argued that Trump, wielding his influential platform, sought to undermine, humiliate, and tarnish Carroll’s reputation.
Interestingly, Trump left the defamation trial before Crowley could deliver the opening statement. Carroll, a New York columnist, is seeking damages exceeding $10 million, with jurors tasked solely with determining the amount Trump should pay, not revisiting the occurrence of the alleged assault or assessing whether the 77-year-old leader lied afterwards.
Having already faced defeat in a defamation case brought by Carroll in the preceding year, Trump was ordered to pay her $5 million for the sexual abuse and defamation during the encounter, which he denied any wrongdoing in 2022. Currently appealing the $5 million verdict, Trump may pursue additional appeals arising from the second trial, potentially prolonging the legal proceedings over several years.
Throughout both legal battles, Trump maintained that he had no prior acquaintance with Carroll, alleging she fabricated their encounter to boost her memoir. However, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan barred him from asserting that he did not defame or sexually assault Carroll or that she fabricated her account.
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