New judicial defeat for Donald Trump, who participated in the White House election campaign. The businessman was convicted in civil court for slandering author Jean Carroll (while he was president in 2019) and describing the rape accusations the woman had publicly made against the businessman as lies. Jurors in the Manhattan court ruled that Trump’s accusations “caused nominal harm.” Trump will have to pay $83.3 million in damages to Carroll. This is a much higher sum than expected: 18.3 million in “compensatory” damages (for emotional stress, damage to reputation and therefore loss of earnings) and 65 million in punitive damages (as a deterrent against further libel) were calculated. Carroll’s defense requested $24 million, while experts estimated the damages to be between $7 and $12 million.
This is Trump’s second conviction in the Carrol case. Last May, he was found responsible for the same violence and insult and was forced to pay $5 million.
Donald’s reaction was instantly real on the social network: “Absolutely ridiculous! I completely disagree with both decisions and will object to this entire witch hunt that Biden is carrying out against me and the Republican Party. Our legal system is out of control and is being carried out right now.” It was used as a political weapon. They eliminated all First Amendment Rights. This is not America!”
The verdict came at the end of a highly tense hearing in which Trump was threatened with ejection from the courtroom for his excesses and vociferous comments towards his accuser. One of his lawyers was threatened with prison time for continuing his speech beyond the deadline.
According to the woman, the businessman assaulted her almost 30 years ago in the dressing room of Bergdorf and Goodman, the luxury department store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, where he asked her for advice on giving underwear to a friend. Denying everything and accusing the author of seeking visibility, Trumo argued, “It’s a lie and he wasn’t even my type.”
“The former president does not live his life in fear.” Alina Habba, one of Donald Trump’s lawyers, said this while answering the questions of journalists who asked her whether Trump was afraid after the sentence. “Attorney Habba added: I’m proud to stand with President Trump. But I’m not proud of what happened in the courtroom.”
In the words of author Jean Carroll, “This is a great victory for every woman who stands up after being knocked down, and a great defeat for every tyrant who tries to keep a woman down.” His lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, repeated that the verdict shows that no one is above the law, “not the rich, not the famous, not even former presidents.”
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
