E. Jean Carroll, a former US magazine columnist to who Donald Trump owes $5 million for 1990s sexual assault for which a civil jury found him guilty, is suing for additional damages on the grounds that the former president continued to slander her after the decision in that civil case.
The Republican primary candidate for 2024 referred to the Elle magazine writer as "a whack job" on CNN the day after a New York jury convicted him guilty of sexually assaulting and defaming her earlier this month.
These remarks, along with Trump's addition that Carroll was fabricating a "made-up story" and that he was unfamiliar with her, constitute additional "defamatory statements," according to Carroll's attorneys.
As a result, her attorneys submitted an updated complaint to a defamation lawsuit Carroll had already filed against Trump in 2019 -- a different, ongoing matter.
It is difficult to fathom defamatory behavior that could possibly be more driven by hatred, ill will, or spite, the complaint states. "Trump's defamatory statements post-verdict show the depth of his malice toward Carroll."
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"This conduct supports a very significant punitive damages award in Carroll's favor to punish Trump, to deter him from continuing his defamatory conduct, and to deter others from doing the same."
Carroll said Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s in a changing room at a New York department shop, and the former president was held responsible by a jury in a civil case the day before the CNN broadcast.
The jury held Trump accountable for sexual assault and subsequent defamation after he dubbed Carroll "a complete con job" after she came out with the allegations, but they dismissed Carroll's rape allegation.
Trump has filed an appeal and disputes the accusations. Carroll's lawsuit cannot lead to a criminal investigation.
The Monday updated complaint is part of a different defamation case that has been delayed by procedural disputes, including whether Trump is covered by presidential immunity for remarks he made about Carroll in 2019 since he was the president at the time.
