Former U.S. President Donald Trump departs for his second civil trial after E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her a long time in the past, exterior a Trump Tower within the Manhattan borough of New York Metropolis, U.S., January 26, 2024.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
Jurors on the intercourse defamation trial of Donald Trump started deliberations Friday after a choose advised them Trump “sexually assaulted” author E. Jean Carroll within the mid-Nineteen Nineties and defamed her in statements he made as president whereas denying her allegation.
Choose Lewis Kaplan advised the nine-member jury in Manhattan federal court docket that they had been to maintain these info in thoughts as deliberated on Carroll’s request for tens of millions of {dollars} in damages from Trump for his defamatory statements.
“What stays so that you can resolve,” Kaplan mentioned, is whether or not “Mr. Trump acted maliciously when he made his two statements” about Carroll.
“It’s essential to settle for as true the info as I defined to you as they’ve already been determined,” the choose mentioned, referring to Trump’s sexual assault of Carroll, and his slandering of her a long time later.
Trump regarded on throughout the directions with a frown on his face.
Earlier, Trump stalked out of the courtroom after Carroll’s lawyer started her closing argument, during which she urged jurors to award financial damages “massive sufficient that it’s going to lastly make him cease” slandering the author.
Trump’s dramatic departure got here minutes after Kaplan warned his lawyer that she was risking being tossed into jail earlier than summations started within the case.
“The file will mirror that Mr. Trump simply rose and walked out of the courtroom,” mentioned Choose Lewis Kaplan.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump walks out throughout lawyer Roberta Kaplan’s closing argument, throughout E. Jean Carroll’s second civil trial as Carroll accused Trump of raping her a long time in the past, at Manhattan Federal Court docket in New York Metropolis, U.S., January 26, 2024, on this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
Trump returned about an hour later after Carroll’s lawyer completed her summation, and simply earlier than his lawyer started her closing argument.
Carroll in a 2019 New York journal article wrote that within the mid-Nineteen Nineties, Trump had raped her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman division retailer on Fifth Avenue, simply up the road from the Trump Tower, the place he lived and labored.
Trump denied her allegation on the time, and mentioned she had made it up.
One other Manhattan federal court docket jury final 12 months discovered he had sexually abused Carroll within the assault, and had defamed her in statements he made in late 2022 denying her claims.
Kaplan dominated later in 2023 that that jury’s verdict meant that jurors within the present trial must settle for as legally established that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll, and defamed her in his 2022 statements.
E. Jean Carroll arrives at Manhattan federal court docket in New York as her defamation swimsuit in opposition to Donald Trump continues on January 26, 2024 in New York Metropolis.
Spencer Platt | Getty Photos
Trump on Friday posted a number of social media messages attacking Kaplan for rulings within the case, accusing the choose of getting “absolute hatred of Donald J. Trump (ME!).” Trump’s Fact social account posted 14 instances about Carroll when he was within the courtroom.
In her closing argument, Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who is just not associated to the choose, requested jurors to impose punitive damages on Trump for refusing to cease defaming Carroll even after a jury final 12 months held him answerable for doing so and ordered him to pay her $5 million.
Trump’s feedback have sparked dying threats and harsh emails and tweets directed at Carroll, the lawyer mentioned.
“The greenback quantity needs to be very massive,” Roberta Kaplan mentioned. “It’s at the very least as a lot and possibly far more than the $12 million” that the lawyer famous an skilled witness had testified it may value to restore Carroll’s status after Trump accused her of investing her declare.
“Final trial, Donald J. Trump did not even trouble to point out up, however this trial the place it’s about damages he has been positive to be right here and the one factor he cares about his cash,” Kaplan mentioned. “He would not care concerning the legislation or fact however does care about cash and your choice on punitive damages is the one hope that he stops.”
“How a lot will it take to make him cease? You value him tons and many cash,” she mentioned.
Trump “is price billions of {dollars} he mentioned that beneath oath, he may pay one million {dollars} a day for ten years and nonetheless have cash within the financial institution,” Kaplan mentioned. “Whenever you start deliberations I encourage you to step again and consider larger image, a former president of the USA who sexually assaulted, defamed and continues to defame.”
Earlier, Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba, who had already irked Choose Kaplan for exhibiting up late in court docket, angered him when she continued in arguing that protection legal professionals ought to have the ability to present a slide to jurors throughout their summation that represented some tweets associated to Carroll.
“You aren’t going to make use of a slide to signify what number of tweets there have been, you aren’t utilizing that slide, interval,” Choose Kaplan mentioned.
When Habba mentioned, “I have to make a file,” referring to placing her argument on the file, the choose issued his warning.
“You’re on the verge of spending time within the lockup, now sit down!,” the choose advised Habba.
Kaplan snapped at Habba a number of extra instances throughout her closing argument, at one level telling her that if she continued urgent a selected level “there shall be penalties.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba delivers closing arguments throughout E. Jean Carroll’s second civil trial, as Carroll accused Trump of raping her a long time in the past, at Manhattan Federal Court docket in New York Metropolis, U.S., January 26, 2024 on this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
In her summation, Habba mentioned that Carroll “has failed to point out she is entitled to any damages in any respect.”
“It’s Ms. Carroll’s burden is just not President Trump’s to show that his statements precipitated hurt and she or he failed to satisfy that burden, it’s common sense,” Habba mentioned.
The lawyer additionally urged that Carroll had made up her claims of receiving “hundreds of threats.”
Carroll had testified that she deleted most of these threats, making them unavailable as proof.
“Both Ms. Carroll is mendacity to you and people messages by no means existed within the first place or she deleted them and needs you to depend on them and guess what they aren’t right here and she or he has to present them to you to help her declare for damages and that may be a truth,” Habba mentioned.
Habba additionally mentioned that not solely did Carroll “not endure any emotional hurt” after publishing her declare in 2019 about Trump raping her “she was happier than ever.”
“She advised Self-importance Honest [magazine] that the help she obtained strolling down the streets was heartwarming,” Habba mentioned. “Probably the most carefree and completely satisfied instances of her life that she was in a cocoon of affection … does this sound like somebody whose world has come crashing down, who cannot sleep?”
“She was having fun with the newfound consideration she was receiving,” the lawyer mentioned.
Earlier than the arguments started and jurors entered the courtroom, the choose issued a warning.
“Throughout closing arguments, nobody is to say something aside from opposing counsel,” mentioned Kaplan. “There are to be no interruptions or audible feedback by anybody else and that may apply after I cost the jury and that may apply to counsel then as effectively.”
Carroll’s legal professionals have complained throughout the trial about Trump making feedback that had been audible to jurors whereas sitting together with his attorneys on the protection desk.
The nine-member jury is anticipated to start deliberations later Friday after a number of hours of summations by Carroll’s lawyer and Trump’s lawyer, and directions from the choose.
Final 12 months she received a $5 million judgment in opposition to him on the first trial. Trump is interesting that verdict.
Kaplan beforehand dominated that due to the prior verdict, there was no authorized query that Trump defamed Carroll. That ruling left solely the query of financial damages remaining for the jury.
Trump throughout his very temporary testimony within the trial Thursday mentioned of Carrol’s declare, “I take into account it a false accusation.”
Kaplan struck that testimony, in gentle of the prior jury’s verdict which discovered he had sexually abused Carroll.
Trump earlier this week defeated former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley within the Republican presidential main in New Hampshire. Final week, he received the Iowa GOP caucuses.
That is creating information. Examine again for updates.
