The legal battle between E. Jean Carroll and former President Donald Trump continues to escalate, as Carroll's legal representatives intensify their pursuit for substantial financial redress for alleged slanderous remarks by Trump.
A legal document submitted on Monday, May 22, details Carroll's demand for considerable financial compensation in response to Trump's repeated disparaging remarks, where he labeled the veteran journalist as a fraud and "liar". This stems from various defamatory statements Trump made during his recent appearance on a CNN Town Hall.
Earlier this month, Trump was mandated to pay $5 million to Carroll after being held accountable for sexual misconduct and defamation. However, following the conviction, Carroll's legal team submitted a revised plea to their 2019 defamation lawsuit, including the recent allegations of slander and raising the compensation claim.
In the aftermath of the ruling, Trump professed ignorance of Carroll, dismissing her claims as fabricated narratives, and slurred her as a "whack job". He further asserted that the judicial proceedings were prejudiced against him.
In response, Carroll's legal document stated: "Trump's defamatory statements post-verdict show the depth of his malice toward Carroll since it is hard to imagine defamatory conduct that could possibly be more motivated by hatred, ill will, or spite." The filing continued, advocating for a substantial punitive damages award to Carroll in order to penalize Trump, deter further defamation, and discourage similar conduct by others.
The filing further underscored Trump's attempt to belittle Carroll's character and trivialize his alleged sexual misconduct against her during his town hall appearance. It mentioned his demeaning query about the nature of a woman who would engage in intimate behavior shortly after meeting a stranger.
The document emphasized that Trump's derogatory comments were heard by more than 3 million viewers of the CNN broadcast, with live audience members reportedly encouraging his demeaning remarks towards Carroll with applause and laughter.
The legal filing explained: "Trump used a national platform to demean and mock Carroll. He egged on a laughing audience as he made light of his violent sexual assault, called Carroll names, implied that Carroll was asking to be assaulted, and dismissed the jury's verdict vindicating Carroll."
Carroll's revised court filing details were reported by CNBC.
