Former US President Donald Trump has suffered a major setback in the defamation case before the elections.
Trump will have to pay $83.3 million (about Rs 7 billion) to writer E. Jean Carroll as a fine. A New York City jury delivered the verdict on Friday in a defamation case against the former president.
The jury said in its decision that Trump would have to pay this amount to Carroll for damaging his reputation.
Earlier, Trump walked out of the courtroom during the final arguments when writer Carroll’s lawyer appealed to the jury to award damages of at least $12 million to his client.
Carroll’s lawyer said Trump called her a liar through his public statements. Created hatred towards Carroll, which has damaged his reputation.
Lawyer Roberta Kaplan begins her closing arguments in Manhattan federal court. A few minutes later, Trump suddenly got up from his seat on the defense side and started walking outside. He stopped for a moment to look at the packed courtroom and during this time the members of the intelligence department started following him.
Trump walked out of the court amid the debate
The former president’s sudden departure forced Justice Lewis A. Kaplan to intervene during the cross-examination. He said the record will show that Trump got up and walked out of the court.
Shortly before Trump walked out, the judge had warned Trump’s lawyer Alina Hubba in the absence of the jury.
She said that despite completing the arguments, if he repeatedly interrupted her, she would send him to jail. The Justice told Habba that you are on the verge of spending some time in jail. Now sit down.
The writer had alleged rape
Carroll wrote a long-running column for ‘Elle’ magazine. She alleged for the first time in a book published in 2019 that Trump had raped her in late 1995 or early 1996.
The incident took place in the dressing room of a luxury department store in Manhattan. In response to these allegations, Trump said that this could never have happened because Carroll is not my type.
After this, Carroll also filed a defamation case against Trump. Earlier, under the law, Carroll was barred from filing a rape case against Trump because several years had passed since the incident.