E. Jean Carroll has spoken out after a jury ordered Donald Trump to pay her $83.3 million in the defamation suit.
Back in 2019, Carroll - a longtime advice columnist - penned a story in New York magazine accusing the 45th President of the United States of sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.
Trump - who was the president at the time - immediately denied the allegations, calling the 80-year-old journalist a "whack job" and alleging that he had never met her, as reported by CBS News.
Following Carroll's publication, the 77-year-old continuously repeatedly attacked and defamed her in social media posts, public appearances, and even in court.
The former Elle magazine writer filed two defamation lawsuits over the statements Trump made about her in 2019 and 2022, contending that his disparagements fuelled abusive messages, online vitriol, and death threats against her.
In the first trial, which went underway in May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse and awarded Carroll $5 million.
The second trial was then set up for the jury to determine how much compensation was meant to account for the harm they found his comments had done to her reputation and emotional well-being.
After a contentious two-week civil trial in a federal courtroom in Manhattan, on Friday (January 26), the nine-member jury ordered the ex-president to pay the writer a staggering $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages.
The compensatory amount included $11 million for repairing her reputation and $7.3 million for the emotional distress she has endured - with Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, remarking that the money should be enough to "make him stop" defaming her client.
Trump abruptly stormed out of the courtroom during closing arguments with his Secret Service security detail so he was not present to hear the verdict. His departure came moments after Judge Kaplan (no relation to Carroll's lawyer) threatened to jail Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, for continuing to speak after he had told her to be quiet, as reported by BBC.
Following the jury's decision on Friday, Carroll shared a powerful statement that read: "This is a great victory for every woman who stands up when she's been knocked down, and a huge defeat for every bully who has tried to keep a woman down."
Her attorney also spoke out about the ruling, sharing: "Today’s verdict proves that the law applies to everyone in our country, even the rich, even the famous, even former presidents.
"There is a way to stand up to someone like Donald Trump, who cares more about wealth, fame, and power than respecting the law," Roberta Kaplan continued. "Standing up to a bully takes courage and bravery; it takes someone like E. Jean Carroll. We thank the jury for standing up for E. Jean and the rule of law."
The former leader repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, or even that he had ever met Ms Carroll, including on Friday morning. But following the verdict he abstained from slamming her directly when he denounced the defamation trial's outcome in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
"I fully disagree with both verdicts and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party," he wrote, according to the outlet. "Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!"