Jury decides Trump must pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million for defamation

Amna Nawaz:

The U.N.'s top court today delivered major warnings to Israel about how it should conduct the war in Gaza.

Geoff Bennett:

We will delve more into that in a moment, but first, some late-breaking news tonight.

A New York jury has ordered former President Donald Trump to pay a total of $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her after she accused him of sexual assault decades earlier.

Amna Nawaz:

Carroll's lawyers had asked the anonymous nine-person jury for heavy damages against the former president, pointing to Mr. Trump's continuing attacks both from the White House as president and after leaving office.

Geoff Bennett:

William Brangham is here to help us make sense of the jury's decision.

So, William, let's break down what the specific damages are, because the total amount is more than eight times what Ms. Carroll asked for in her initial lawsuit.

William Brangham:

That's right. It was a pretty stunning number that came out today, $83.3 million total.

And let's break those down, what they actually are; $7.3 million was offered for emotional harm, $11 million in reputational damage, and $65 million in punitive damages. That's what the jury was able to decide on their own.

And let's talk a little bit about each of those individually. The emotional harm was for what E. Jean Carroll said was this torrent of abuse that she suffered through after the then-president defamed her. And she said she received death threats, a sort of torrent of online abuse. She felt unsafe. She was sleeping with a gun under her — in her bed at one point.

So the jury gave her $7 million for that. She also said that her career basically fell off a cliff and that she stopped getting interviews. She stopped going on morning TV. Only thing anyone ever wanted to talk to her about was Donald Trump.

And with the specter of her out there calling her a liar and a — quote — "whack job," as he did, they awarded her $11 million for her reputational repair; $65 million was the punitive damages. That's what she was offered. That's what the jury could basically decide what they — if they wanted to punish the former president, and that's the number that they chose.

It is worth remembering she already received $5 million from her previous civil case, where the former president was found liable for sexually abusing her and defaming her. So, this is now on top of all that.

Geoff Bennett:

The $65 million in punitive damages, that number really stands out. What did Ms. Carroll's team argue that the jury was then led to arrive at that number?

William Brangham:

That's right.

The punitive damage number really is the one that jumps out. And Carroll's lawyers all along had been arguing that, if you want to stop Donald Trump from continuing to make these now unfounded claims about E. Jean Carroll, that money is the only way that you're going to do that.

We should note the former president has continued to make these statements about her. Every time he talks about this case, he calls her a whack job. He says she's a liar. He says he's never met her. He says he never did anything to her. He says she made this all up to sell a book; 30, 40 consecutive TRUTH Social posts earlier this month, he put out about her.

Geoff Bennett:

In a single day.

William Brangham:

In a single day, exactly.

Geoff Bennett:

Yes.

William Brangham:

Before they rested their case yesterday, Trump's lawyers — I'm sorry — Carroll's lawyers posted long swathes of video of the former president boasting about his wealth as a way of sort of priming the jury to remember, this is a very wealthy man, and maybe you ought to take advantage of that.

Geoff Bennett:

And as you and others have reported, Mr. Trump didn't help himself in front of the jury with his behavior, today even. He got up and walked out of the courtroom during the closing arguments. Tell us more about that.

William Brangham:

That's right.

I mean, I'm not a jury consultant or a psychologist, but it's hard to look at how Trump comported himself in front of the jury and with this judge and think he did himself any favors. I mean, all of the times that I sat there in the court with him, he was irascible, huffing, often speaking loud enough for the jury to hear so that lawyers and the judge had to stop and tell him to be quiet.

And, as you said, in the middle of closing today, the final sort of denouement of a court event, he got up in the middle of it and walked and left out — left the courthouse. So, again, it's hard to see that did him any favors.

Geoff Bennett:

So what comes next, William?

William Brangham:

The former president has already said he will most definitely appeal, and that is certainly his right, and that's definitely going to happen.

He posted on TRUTH Social today, we should say. This is what he had to say.

He said this is — quote — "absolutely ridiculous. I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be appealing this whole Biden-directed witch-hunt focused on me and the Republican Party."

Again, it's worth stating again, as we have before, there is no evidence that this is connected to the Biden White House at all. This was a civil case brought by an individual person, not a governmental entity, certainly nothing related to the Biden administration whatsoever.

The president will appeal this. We will see how that goes.

Geoff Bennett:

William Brangham, who is tracking this and the other cases involving the former president, thanks so much.