On the afternoon of January 26, local time, a federal jury in Manhattan, New York, USA, ruled on the defamation case of American writer Elisabeth Jean Carroll against Trump, and sentenced Trump to pay a total of $83.3 million in damages to Carroll, including $11 million in reputational damages, $7.3 million in moral damages, and $65 million in huge punitive damages.
Faced with this result, Trump posted on social platforms: "Absolutely ridiculous, this is not the United States". Trump's lawyer said the court's decision was disgusting and contrary to U.S. law, and that he would appeal immediately.
Carroll issued a statement saying: "Trump thinks that with his power and financial resources, he can hurt me with impunity." It's a great win for a woman who falls and gets up strong, and a huge defeat for the bad guys who try to defy women. This proves that everyone is equal before the law in the United States, whether you are a rich man, a celebrity, or a former president. ”
The lawsuit between Trump and Carroll is a long story, and in 2019, Carroll published an article in the media claiming that Trump sexually assaulted her between late 1995 and early 1996. Carroll said she met Mr. Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman mall in New York, and Mr. Trump said he wanted to pick a gift for a woman and asked Ms. Carroll to recommend it. After some scouting in the mall, the two went to a place that sold women's underwear, and Trump took the opportunity to let Carroll try on the clothes and forcibly had sex with her in the locker room, the whole process took less than three minutes.
In the face of the accusations, Mr. Trump initially quibbled that he and Carol had never met and were complete strangers. But then Carroll threw out a photo of the two in the same frame, and Trump was instantly slapped in the face. But Trump still insisted that these were non-existent things, and said that Carroll was not his favorite type, and has repeatedly verbally attacked Carroll since then. After a war of words, an enraged Carroll took Trump to court in a lawsuit that she believed that Trump's remarks had caused great damage to her reputation and caused her to be subjected to various insults and threats.
Trump is now entangled in lawsuits, facing 91 charges of commercial fraud, inciting riots, etc., and the potential damages and fines in New York State alone amounting to as much as $250 million, even if his net worth is as high as $2.6 billion, he must be bleeding in the face of this huge loss.