Last Friday, a jury awarded E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million. Carroll sued Donald Trump, decades after he raped her, and during a years-long campaign in which Trump defamed her. Even during the civil trial, Trump was still smearing her and defaming her on Truth Social. Worse yet, Trump’s unhinged supporters are targeting Carroll too. I was so pleased for Carroll’s victory but I didn’t have much confidence that she would ever get that money. It looks like her lawyer is on top of it though! E. Jean and her lawyer appeared on Good Morning America on Monday and there are some great quotes in here:
Three days after a jury awarded her over $83 million for Donald Trump’s repeated defamatory statements, columnist E. Jean Carroll vowed to use the money on “something Donald Trump hates.”
“If it’ll cause him pain for me to give money to certain things, that’s my intent,” Carroll told George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America,” suggesting she would create a “fund for the women who have been sexually assaulted by Donald Trump.”
Sitting feet from Trump in court for five days, Carroll described that her fears leading up to the trial about interacting with the former president washed away as soon as the trial began. “It was like he was like nothing, like an emperor without clothes,” Carroll said. “All my terror leading up to it, and there he is. He’s just something in a suit.”
Trump’s in-person attendance at the trial – after missing last year’s trial – briefly interrupted the proceedings, including when the former president muttered defamatory statements in earshot of the jury or walked out during the closing statement delivered by Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan. Kaplan, however, said Trump’s behavior only validated the central thesis of her case that Trump is “a bully who can’t follow the rules.”
“I definitely thought we got a few more million dollars immediately,” Kaplan said about Trump walking out of court during her closing statement. “I was like, well, that’s worth about $10 million.”
A few hours after Trump stormed out of court, the jury delivered their unanimous verdict and $83.3 million award. As the jury left the courtroom, Carroll and her lawyers held hands, exchanging smiles with some of the jurors. “It made me burst into tears because they met my eyes for the first time,” Carroll said about seeing the jurors.
Kaplan added that she is confident they will be able to collect the $83.3 million, explaining that Trump could either pay a bond or deposit the money in full until he appeals. “I’m pretty confident one way or the other. We might not get it right away. But one way or the other, he owns a lot of real estate. It can be sold. We will collect the judgment,” Kaplan said.
While Trump has not mentioned Carroll by name in the days since the verdict, Carroll said that she is not confident the former president will refrain from defaming her, and her lawyer said “all options are on the table” if Trump decides to defame her client again.
“One way or the other, he owns a lot of real estate. It can be sold.” As I said weeks ago, I want E. Jean Carroll to own g–damn Trump Tower after all of this. She can turn it into a center for immigration resources. She can turn it into a Planned Parenthood. While I love that she’s committed to giving the money away, I hope she keeps some of it for security, because she’s absolutely going to need it. Anyway, I love her lawyer’s confidence about getting the money! And it’s true, and it’s been true – the emperor has no clothes. He’s not some mastermind – he’s a racist moron and a serial sexual predator.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
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- New York, NY – American author E Jean Carroll walks behind security guard outside Manhattan Federal Court after closing arguments of rape-defamation case against Donald Trump. Pictured: E Jean Carroll BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – American author E Jean Carroll walks behind security guard outside Manhattan Federal Court after closing arguments of rape-defamation case against Donald Trump. Pictured: E Jean Carroll BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – E. Jean Carroll leaves Federal Court in Lower Manhattan with her legal team following the verdict that decided that former President Donald Trump must pay her $83 million in damages in her defamation case against him. Pictured: E Jean Carroll BACKGRID USA 26 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – E. Jean Carroll leaves Federal Court in Lower Manhattan with her legal team following the verdict that decided that former President Donald Trump must pay her $83 million in damages in her defamation case against him. Pictured: E Jean Carroll BACKGRID USA 26 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- E Jean Carroll Exits Manhattan Federal Court Featuring: E. Jean Carroll Where: New York, New York, United States When: 25 Jan 2024 Credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com
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- E Jean Carroll Exits Manhattan Federal Court Featuring: E. Jean Carroll, Roberta Kaplan Where: New York, New York, United States When: 25 Jan 2024 Credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com
Here’s something trump would hate. A very large donation to the Biden campaign and any other democratic campaign. He would hate that.
So ready to see Carroll Tower in NYC or Carol Lago in FL. Good for her!
LOVE this! Carroll Lago!
For years, Agent Orange has been grifting his MAGA supporters to pay for his legal bills, but the damages keep mounting. It’s at the point where Republican candidates are worried that they won’t have enough to fund their house and senate races ( which would just be too, too bad).
Go E. Jean! Take him to the cleaners!
Sandra, when the appeals are exhausted – which may be another 2 years – believe that the court can force the sale of his assets. But, I think that you may be right if there is nothing left to sell in two years. I wonder if the original trial finding of (I think) ~ $5 million (too lazy to check) is settled separately? Would need a lawyer or someone following the labyrinth of his court drama to weigh in but presumably she has a better shot at collecting that smaller amount of money just given the timing of appeals.
I doubt she ever sees a penny of the money awarded to her. I don’t think he actually has that much anymore, if he ever did, but he’s never going to give it over. He’s notorious for not paying bills..
He doesn’t have a choice. It goes into escrow until he appeals, and he has no basis for appeal, because of how his lawyer mis-handled the trial. Carroll will get the money.
Yeah it’s not like he owns any of his real estate in his own name. It’s probably all in LLC’s and corporate entities in which he or trusts for his benefit own shares or interests. Wealthy people are great at evading both taxes and legal liabilities. For example if he is the beneficiary of a trust that owns interests in real estate, most likely there is an unrelated trustee who has the power to decide whether or not to make any distributions to him and the trustee can’t be forced by a court to make distributions to discharge his legal obligations. Only if the trustee makes a distribution to him can a court attach the judgment to that distribution.
I love the idea of Trump Tower as a Planned Parenthood! Or Democratic National Headquarters. Or how about the National Center for Women’s Healthcare & Reproductive Rights?
She is a stunning woman!
I need to call this woman “Mom” because she’s giving me life. 🙂
Hahahaha I’m so HAPPY.
Oh please oh please oh please, throw in the so-called Trump Tower in Chicago as well. That building has reeked of urine ever since 2016, and while I admire the stubborn spite of my fellow citizens, I’d really like to not have to literally hold my nose walking past!
Major, Major Respect to E. Jean Carroll for standing her ground. I have no doubt it has taken a huge toll on her. Lady is serving justice – for herself, and for all of us.
Do you think any of the ‘Trump’ properties are in his name anymore? As soon as all the lawsuits popped up could he have transferred all of them to his wife or kids? Especially the youngest, who is still a minor. To protect them from judgments like this. You know he’s already done something shady to stop them from getting his money.
But her ideas of what to spend it on are the best. Even if it’s his MAGA cult members money.
When I was a very young teen, I wrote her a clumsy, heartsick email, asking for advice on something or other, as I’d followed her advice column for some time. She wrote me back a lovely, thoughtful, warm response and since then, I’ve always held a soft spot for her. She is a legend and I’m so sorry for what she’s had to go through but I am so happy she’s gotten some form of justice. I also can’t believe that this man can be found guilty of sexual assault and still be the main contender for next president of the US. But hey, Canadian politics are just as messy and bent!
Aw Monica, I love this anecdote. I was a big fan of her column as well. Despite her private pain she was so good at helping others navigate their challenges. I want only good things for her.
I am sure the NAACP, ACLU and SPLC would take some of that money. And he would absolutely hate all three.