WASHINGTON – Writer E. Jean Carroll asked a court Monday to impose “very substantial” new damages on Donald Trump for his verbal attacks on her after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
“Trump’s defamatory statements post-verdict show the depth of his malice toward Carroll,” said the filing by the plaintiff’s attorneys. They added that “it is hard to imagine defamatory conduct that could possibly be more motivated by hatred, ill will, or spite.”
A day after a jury this month assessed Trump $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation, Trump said during a CNN town hall that Carroll was a “whack job” who told a “made-up story;” he called the trial a “rigged deal.”
Trump has appealed the verdict and the $5 million judgement against him.
E. Jean Carroll seeks new damages
In the latest filing, Carroll’s attorneys said “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 did not seek a specific amount of damages.
The latest filing was made in connection with a still-pending defamation case.
Jury finds Donald Trump liable in civil sex abuse case of E. Jean Carroll
Last year, Carroll filed a second lawsuit against Trump under a 2022 New York law that gave victims a one-year window in which victims can sue their alleged attackers.
This was the lawsuit that went to trial and resulted in a May 9 jury finding of sexual abuse and defamation.
It all stems from an incident in 1996. Carroll accused Trump of raping her shortly after the two met and began chatting at Bergdorf-Goodman department store.
Carroll said she stayed silent for more than 20 years because she feared retaliation from Trump and his powerful friends. She said she decided to go public in 2019 in the wake of the Me Too movement against sexual harassment and violence.
Trump, who did testify during the trial, claimed that he had never met Carroll and that her claims were politically motivated.
Previous coverage:E. Jean Carroll may sue Donald Trump again, as he appeals $5 million judgement
