Jury begins deliberations in Trump’s E. Jean Carroll defamation trial

An nameless federal jury has begun weighing how a lot cash, if any, former President Donald Trump should pay the author E. Jean Carroll for a pair of defamatory statements he made about her in 2019, when he denied sexually assaulting her within the Nineteen Nineties.

The jury obtained the case after each side offered their closing arguments on Friday, which grew contentious at a number of factors. Trump walked out of the courtroom as Carroll’s legal professional Roberta Kaplan was delivering her remarks, shortly earlier than she requested the jury to award Carroll a minimum of $24 million in damages.

The defamation case is the second Carroll has filed in opposition to Trump. The choose overseeing the trial has already dominated that Carroll was telling the reality concerning the assault, and that Trump’s statements denying her claims had been defamatory. The jury is tasked with deciding what damages Carroll is entitled to obtain.

Carroll’s closing argument

Kaplan was about 10 minutes into her closing argument on Friday when Trump, who was seated on the protection desk, obtained up and exited the room. 

Earlier than he left, Kaplan repeatedly instructed the jury that he sexually assaulted Carroll, prompting the previous president to shake his head. She then moved on to Trump’s repeated defamatory statements, and mentioned that “sometimes when individuals are held chargeable for false and defamatory lies, they cease.” 

“He continued to defame Ms. Carroll at the same time as this trial was ongoing,” Kaplan mentioned.

Kaplan — who shouldn’t be associated to Lewis Kaplan, the choose overseeing the case — requested the jury to award Carroll a minimum of $24 million in compensatory damages, in addition to punitive damages extreme sufficient to “make him cease” defaming her shopper.

Kaplan walked the jury via the primary statements Trump made in 2019, and the various instances he has repeated his claims — that he is ever met Carroll, that she is not his “sort,” that he did not assault her and that the case is a “hoax” — since then, together with some as lately as this week.

“These false denials and assaults continued when you had been on this courtroom … when you had been sitting in these seats,” Kaplan mentioned, earlier than exhibiting a clip of a press convention Trump held final week, when he once more lashed out at Carroll.

Then she confirmed a latest Fact Social put up wherein Trump promised to disclaim the allegations “a thousand instances.”

“A thousand instances, are you kidding me?” Kaplan mentioned. “He is ready to do it 1,000 instances until you make him cease.”

Kaplan completed by declaring that Trump did not attend the primary trial, when the query of whether or not he sexually abused Carrol was put earlier than the jury, however did seem for these proceedings, when damages had been at stake.

“The one factor that Donald Trump does care about is cash,” she mentioned.

Trump’s closing argument

Alina Habba, Trump’s legal professional, offered the closing argument for the protection, with Trump again within the courtroom. 

She centered on what she known as a “five-hour hole” in 2019 between when Carroll’s allegations first surfaced and Trump’s first defamatory assertion. Habba mentioned Carroll hadn’t proved “causation” between Trump’s assertion and the following harassment Carroll acquired.

Habba centered on a portion of Carroll’s testimony when she described the primary evening she started receiving threats. She testified that she hung up pants over a resort window out of concern.

“She did not name the police, however she hung up pants,” Habba mentioned. “She did not inform anybody, however she hung up pants.”

Habba continued: “There are two variations of E. Jean Carroll: The reality, which her pal knew and testified about, and the one who involves courtroom to get my shopper’s cash.”

She as soon as once more cited statements and textual content messages wherein Carroll mentioned she was feeling “fabulous” and “buoyant” after her allegations had been made public.

Given the possibility to supply a rebuttal, Carroll’s legal professional Shawn Crowley repeatedly pointed straight at Trump, whereas saying he sexually assaulted Carroll and lied about it.

At one level, Trump turned to look at Crowley, obvious, along with his arms folded. As she continued talking, usually pointing at him, he grew extra animated, shaking his head and grimacing.

“They need you to resolve that it is Ms. Carroll’s fault, that someway Donald Trump is a sufferer,” Crowley mentioned, as Trump appeared to nod his head.

“The person who did these items to her, the person who sexually assaulted her, he will get to do no matter he needs,” Crowley mentioned. “The foundations do not apply to him,” she added, earlier than encouraging the jury, as soon as once more, to achieve a verdict that may “make him cease.”

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