Donald Trump faced a skeptical panel of judges in a Manhattan courtroom as they heard arguments for his appeal of a $5 million verdict finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation against E. Jean Carroll. The judges questioned the admissibility of evidence, including testimony from another alleged victim and the infamous ‘Access Hollywood’ tape, raising doubts about Trump’s chances of overturning the verdict.
E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle magazine columnist who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault in the 1990s, believes that the jury in his criminal hush money trial will deliver a guilty verdict. Carroll, who has won two previous defamation lawsuits against Trump, told TIME that she has confidence in the New York jury, which she described as “the smartest in the world” with diverse political backgrounds. Carroll’s testimony was a key factor in the jury’s decision to award her nearly $100 million in damages in one of the defamation trials, and she expressed confidence that the jury in the hush money case will reach a similar verdict. Trump, who is appealing the defamation rulings, has denied any wrongdoing and has called the hush money case a “hoax.” During the criminal trial, Trump’s defense team argued that the payments made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal were not illegal campaign contributions but were instead reimbursements for legal fees incurred in connection with the nondisclosure agreements they signed. However, the prosecution presented evidence that Trump was personally involved in the payments and that they were made to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. The jury is expected to begin deliberations soon, and a guilty verdict could have significant implications for Trump’s political future. The hush money case is only one of several legal challenges that Trump is facing. He is also being investigated for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and he is facing a defamation lawsuit from a former contestant on “The Apprentice.”
A federal judge in New York has upheld a defamation verdict against former President Donald Trump, requiring him to pay $83 million to E. Jean Carroll, the writer who accused him of sexual assault. The ruling comes after Trump’s motion for a new trial was denied, affirming that Carroll suffered damages from Trump’s public attacks against her following her sexual assault allegations.
