43°
The seven men and two women – including Hudson Valley residents from Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties – awarded Carroll a combined $83.3 million after deliberating for three hours on Friday, Jan. 26. The other jurors were from New York County (Manhattan) and the Bronx.
Specifically, jurors decided that Trump should pay Carroll $11 million to fund a reputational repair campaign, $7.3 million for emotional harm, and $65 million in punitive damages, CNN reports.
That amount is more than eight times what Carroll had asked for in her lawsuit.
Friday’s verdict came months after US District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that Trump defamed Carroll in 2019 when he claimed she was lying about Trump sexually abusing him in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.
In May 2023, another jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation for separate comments he made in 2022, awarding her nearly $5 million in damages. As such, Kaplan said Carroll had already proven that the former president defamed her.
"The truth or falsity of Mr. Trump's 2019 statements therefore depends — like the truth or falsity of his 2022 statement — on whether Ms. Carroll lied about Mr. Trump sexually assaulting her,” Kaplan wrote in his decision.
“The jury's finding that she did not therefore is binding in this case and precludes Mr. Trump from contesting the falsity of his 2019 statements.”
Following Friday’s verdict, Kaplan thanked the jurors for their service and told them they can speak publicly about their service but cannot reveal the identities of other jurors.
“My advice to you is that you never disclose that you were on this jury, and I won’t say anything more about it,” CNN quoted him as saying.
The 80-year-old Carroll – now living in Orange County – did not address a throng of reporters outside of the courthouse.
Trump blasted the verdict on Truth Social, calling the decision “absolutely ridiculous” and repeating claims that the case was a “witch hunt.” He said he plans to appeal the verdict.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Pittsfield and receive free news updates.
