E. Jean Carroll: Jury Finds Sexual Abuse and Defamation; $83.3 Million Damages

Overview

Two federal juries found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The first awarded $5 million; the second awarded $83.3 million after Trump continued publicly attacking Carroll following the first verdict.

The second jury awarded $65 million in punitive damages. Punitive damages exist to punish conduct the law finds requires punishment beyond compensation.

The Finding

The May 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse. Under New York law as it existed at the time of the assault, "rape" required penile penetration; the jury found the conduct constituted "sexual abuse" under the statute. Judge Kaplan noted in subsequent rulings that this technical statutory distinction did not change the nature of what the jury found had occurred, calling the finding "tantamount to finding that Mr. Trump raped Ms. Carroll."

The Defamation

After the 2019 public allegation, Trump called Carroll a liar, denied knowing her, and described her account as a "witch hunt." After the May 2023 civil verdict finding him liable, he continued making these statements. Carroll filed a second defamation suit based on the post-verdict statements.

The January 2024 jury awarded $83.3 million, including $65 million in punitive damages. The award reflected the jury's determination that Trump's continued campaign against Carroll required punishment beyond what compensation alone could provide.

The Pattern

Trump's public response to the Carroll allegations — deny everything, attack the accuser, describe the proceedings as a political persecution — followed the same pattern as his responses to the housing discrimination case, the Trump University case, and every other legal proceeding in his history. It was, as multiple observers noted, Roy Cohn's playbook, applied decades after Cohn's death.