US court fines former President Trump $83 million in defamation lawsuit

On January 26, a jury in the Federal Court in New York (USA) ruled that former President Donald Trump must compensate former journalist Elizabeth Jean Carroll 83.3 million USD for sexual assault and insulting the victim.

This penalty is many times higher than the $10 million that Ms. Carroll claimed in the lawsuit.

Speaking after the end of the trial, lawyer Alina Habba representing Mr. Trump said the defendant had been deprived of the right to defend himself at the trial.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump criticized the court's ruling and said he would appeal.

E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle magazine advice columnist, first accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a department store in 1996 in 2019.

Mr Trump denied this, asserting that Ms Carroll's accusation was "a complete lie."

Ms. Carroll then sued Mr. Trump in New York Court, alleging defamation, and filed another lawsuit against him in November 2022.

In May 2023, Mr. Trump was convicted of sexually abusing Ms. Carroll and had to pay $5 million in compensation.

However, Ms. Carroll later amended the lawsuit and asked Mr. Trump to pay $10 million in compensation.