NEW YORK, USA – E. Jean Carroll, who was recently awarded $5 million in damages in a sexual abuse and defamation case against former President Donald J. Trump, is seeking additional damages due to post-trial derogatory comments made by Trump on a CNN programme.
The filing took place on Monday, May 22, 2023, in Manhattan federal court with the aim to increase the financial repercussions for Trump.
The jury in Carroll’s civil case, which concluded on May 9, found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, ordering him to pay Carroll, a former advice columnist, $2 million for the sexual abuse and $3 million for defamation.
Carroll’s additional defamation lawsuit, filed in 2019 against Trump, is related to comments Trump made following Carroll’s disclosure that he had raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.
The lawsuit is still pending after being delayed by appeals.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta A. Kaplan, revealed in a letter to the judge that Trump has threatened to file a counter-lawsuit against Carroll, suggesting this move could be retaliatory and possibly seek sanctions.
On May 10, Trump appeared on CNN denying the episode, labelling Carroll’s account as “fake” and a “made-up story.”
Despite photographic evidence to the contrary, he denied ever meeting Carroll and dubbed her a “wack job.” He also claimed that the recent civil trial was “rigged.”
Carroll’s latest court filing argues that Trump’s defamatory statements following the May 9 verdict reveal his deep malice toward Carroll.
It asserts that these statements were motivated by hatred and spite and that they bolster the case for a substantial punitive damages award to both punish Trump and deter him and others from engaging in further defamation.
Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, has filed a notice of appeal against the jury’s decision.
Ms. Kaplan underscored the importance of pursuing the pending defamation lawsuit, given Trump’s statements on CNN the day after the verdict. She expressed concern over Trump’s ability to continue repeating defamatory statements without repercussion.
Carroll’s filing requests Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to allow her to amend her 2019 defamation lawsuit to include the jury’s verdict against Trump and his post-verdict statements on CNN and his Truth Social platform.
In a recent interview, Carroll described Trump’s CNN comments as “stupid,” “disgusting,” and “vile,” stating that they had wounded people.
She maintained that her encounter with Trump in the mid-1990s, which she revealed in a 2019 book excerpt in New York magazine, was an act of rape. Trump, however, continues to deny the allegations.
