Judge affirms $83.3 million verdict against Donald Trump in E. Jean Carroll defamation case

CNN

By Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — A federal judge formally ordered Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll, endorsing the jury’s verdict from the defamation trial last month.

The judgment was made in a one-page order on Thursday.

The issuance of the judgment takes Carroll one step closer to obtaining her award, but it is only the beginning of a process that can take months or longer to play out, in part depending on how long the appeals process lasts.

This will be the second judgment Carroll has won against Trump. Last year a jury awarded her $5 million in damages after finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation for denying Carroll’s rape allegation, saying she wasn’t his type, and suggesting she made up the story to sell copies of a book.

Trump set aside $5.5 million in an account that is controlled by the court. That money will not be released until all appeals, including potentially to the Supreme Court, are exhausted. Last May, Trump appealed the verdict to the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals, which has not yet heard arguments.

In the current case, a jury found Carroll should receive $83.3 million in damages to repair her reputation, to compensate her, and to punish Trump. The judge found that the prior verdict should carry over to statements at issue in the last trial since they were similar.

Trump will likely post a bond that will stay the enforcement of the judgment for the duration of the appeal.

A spokesman for Carroll had no comment. An attorney for Trump could not immediately be reached.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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