E. Jean Carroll, a journalist, has asked a US court to amend her initial defamation lawsuit, in which she received $5 million in damages, to incorporate Donald Trump’s recent remarks at a CNN town hall. Carroll feels the former president reiterated his statements throughout the interview as another attempt to defame her.
Trump’s words, according to Carroll’s counsel, directly address the subject of punitive damages, which are intended to penalize the individual found culpable.
Notably, a day after a nine-member jury convicted Trump guilty of sexually abusing and defaming the Elle magazine reporter, he dubbed her a ‘whack job’ on CNN. He went on to say that Carroll was presenting a “made-up story” and that he didn’t know her, which Carroll’s lawyer’s claim falls under the area of further “defamatory statements.”
“Trump’s defamatory statements post-verdict show the depth of his malice toward Carroll since it is hard to imagine defamatory conduct that could possibly be more motivated by hatred, ill will, or spite,” the complaint reads.
“This conduct supports a very substantial punitive damages award in Carroll’s favor both to punish Trump, to deter him from engaging in further defamation, and to deter others from doing the same,” it added.
Carroll was given $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages by the Manhattan Federal Court earlier this month.
The jury of nine, made up of six men and three women, returned a unanimous conviction in less than three hours but rejected Carroll’s allegation that the former president raped her.
What did Carroll assert?
The 79-year-old former Elle Magazine columnist claims Trump assaulted her in the spring of 1996 at Bergdorf Goodman, a premium department store on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York.
Carroll testified that Trump’s actions had broken her and that she had been attempting to rebuild her life.
“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen. He lied and shattered my reputation and I’m here to try to get my life back,” Carroll testified.
Carroll’s triumph is a victory for all women
Carroll declared the ruling in her favor a ‘win’ for all women who have been sexually assaulted.
“The old view of the perfect victim was a woman who always screamed. A woman who immediately reported. A woman whose life was supposed to fold up and she’s never supposed to experience happiness again,” said Carroll.
“That was just shut down with this verdict, the death of the perfect victim has happened. Now this verdict is for all women,” she added.
When asked what she was thinking when the jury stated they weren’t persuaded Trump raped her, Carroll responded, “Well, I just immediately (said) in my own head, ‘Oh, yes, he did. Oh yes, he did.’”
