Three days after a New York jury’s granting of $83 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll for defamatory remarks attributed to former President Donald J. Trump, columnist E. Jean Carroll disclosed to Good Morning America that the funds would be allocated towards “something Donald Trump hates.”
“If it will cause him pain for me to give money to certain things. That is my intent,” said Carrol. “Well, perhaps a fund for the women who have been sexually assaulted by Donald Trump.”
Trump was ordered by a Manhattan federal court jury to pay Carroll a total of $83.3 million in damages for defamatory comments he made about the writer who accused him of rape in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman in 1996.
Trump denied these allegations through more than 40 social media posts made on Truth Social, at CNN Town Hall and even on his campaign trail further damaging her reputation, and ensuing an onslaught of death threats from his supporters.
Carrol’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan joined her on Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos to discuss whether the verdict had finally settled in after they had won their tumultuous defamation case. Carrol expressed feeling ‘elated’ and that she had smiled at the jury because it “was very moving”, which caused her to burst into tears in the courtroom.
Kaplan wasn’t worried about Trump not paying Carrol her $83 million.
“One way or the other, he holds a lot of real estate. It can be sold,” said Kaplan. “So, he either has a choice to get a bond or deposit eighty-three plus million dollars with the court. If he can’t do that, then we can start collecting right away.”
Before the final verdict was announced, Trump walked out during Kaplan’s closing arguments. The case rested on the premise that Trump was a bully who couldn’t follow the rules, and in that moment he showed his true colors.
“I definitely thought we got a few more million dollars immediately. I was like, well, that’s worth about $10 million,” said Kaplan.
Both Carrol and Kaplan are prepared to take Trump to court again if he were to continue his triad against the columnist.
“If we have to bring another case we’ll bring another case,” said Kaplan. “It’s just going to be more money.”
