Topline
E. Jean Carroll would like to use the $83.3 million Donald Trump owes for defaming her on something the former president “hates,” she said in a Good Morning America interview on Monday, three days after a jury unanimously handed down the verdict.
The former president was ordered to pay Carroll $83.3 million for defamation on Friday.
Key Facts
A jury on Friday ordered Trump to pay Carroll $83.3 million, including $65 million in punitive damages and $18.3 million in compensatory damages, for defaming her after she accused him of sexual assault.
Carroll told George Stephanopoulos the fear she felt leading up to the trial dissipated when the proceedings began, comparing the former president to “an emperor without clothes.”
Roberta Kaplan, one of Carroll’s attorneys, said she’s “pretty confident” they will be able to collect the full verdict amount, adding that Trump has the option to either “get a bond” or deposit the sum with the court.
The former Elle columnist said she is not confident Trump will hold back from defaming her again, to which Kaplan said “all options are on the table” if the former president decides to make further defamatory statements.
Crucial Quote
“If it’ll cause him pain for me to give money to certain things, that’s my intent,” Carroll said. “Well, perhaps, a fund for the women who have been sexually assaulted by Donald Trump.”
Tangent
Trump could be ordered to pay another $370 million as soon as this week by Judge Arthur Engoron as his civil fraud trial wraps up, potentially bringing his total due in legal proceedings to more than $400 million.
Key Background
In a 2019 excerpt from her book, Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid 1990s. After the former president denied the allegations, Carroll sued him for defamation in November 2019—eventually filing a second lawsuit for defamation and sexual assault in November 2022. The second lawsuit went to trial in May 2023, in which a jury found Trump did assault and defame—but did not rape—Carroll, ordering him to pay her $5 million. The defamation trial, which began on Jan. 16, was only to determine the damages since Trump was already found liable. The day the verdict was handed down marked a dramatic finale to the lawsuit, with Trump storming out as Kaplan began her closing argument and Alina Habba, Trump’s attorney, threatened with jail time by the judge.
Further Reading
E. Jean Carroll says she plans to use $83 million on ‘something Donald Trump hates’ (ABC News)
Trump Must Pay E. Jean Carroll $83 Million For Defamation, Jury Rules (Forbes)
Trump Lawsuit By E. Jean Carroll Goes To Jury After He Stormed Out Of Court (Forbes)
