Writer E. Jean Carroll has filed a new claim against former President Donald Trump, in response to remarks he made about her during a CNN town hall.
On May 9, a jury in New York City found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s and defaming her when he wrote on his Truth Social platform that Carroll's case was "a Hoax and a lie" and "a complete con job." She was awarded $5 million. The next evening, Trump appeared on CNN, during which he called Carroll a "wack job," described her sexual assault allegation as a "made-up story" and "fake" and said the civil trial was "a rigged deal."
On Monday, Carroll's attorneys amended a complaint in a separate defamation lawsuit against Trump that is still pending. During the CNN town hall, Trump "doubled down" on his derogatory comments against Carroll, the attorneys wrote, and his post-verdict statements "show the depth of malice toward Carroll since it is hard to imagine defamatory conduct that could possibly be more motivated by hatred, ill will or spite. This conduct supports a very substantial punitive damages awards in Carroll's favor both to punish Trump, to deter him from engaging in further defamation and to deter others from doing the same."
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The attorneys said they are seeking at least $10 million in compensatory damages and more in punitive damages.
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