Judge upholds $5 million jury verdict against Trump on rape and defamation

Link

A federal judge on Wednesday upheld a $5 million jury verdict against Donald Trump, rejecting the former president’s claim that the award was excessive and that the jury vindicated him by failing to conclude in the civil case that he raped a columnist in a luxury department store dressing room in the 1990s.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said the jury’s May award of compensatory and punitive damages to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation was reasonable.

Trump had argued that what the jury found was not actually rape, and he even counter-sued Carroll for defamation, but the judge went even further and explained that what the jury had actually found in their judgment was really rape, and the money awarded is reasonable.

The judge said the verdict did not mean that Carroll “failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’ Indeed ... the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.”

Trump’s lawyers were correct in arguing that the $2 million award for sexual abuse would have been excessive if the jury based the compensatory award on a conclusion that Trump had groped Carroll’s breasts through her clothing or similar conduct, the judge said. But, he said, that’s not what the jury found.

That did not go well for Trump at all. Instead of leaving it muddied, the way it was, a federal judge has now clearly explained that the judgment amount is commensurate to the crime committed -- which is rape. Had the penalty been only for "sexual abuse" it would make sense to lower the amount, but since forced penetration occurred, this constitutes as rape, and the money awarded and the penalty stands.

Most Trump acolytes won't change their mind, he truly could kill someone on 5th Ave and it wouldn't change their minds, but I think there is a segment of the population that is getting sick of this -- the women. Between losing a half a century of their rights, and the person responsible for that legally being a rapist, I think more and more women will be looking for an alternate. I mean, what choice do they have at this point?

“...the proof convincingly established, and the jury implicitly found, that Mr. Trump deliberately and forcibly penetrated Ms. Carroll’s vagina with his fingers, causing immediate pain and long lasting emotional and psychological harm,” Kaplan wrote.

The judge said Trump’s argument “ignores the bulk of the evidence at trial, misinterprets the jury’s verdict, and mistakenly focuses on the New York Penal Law definition of ‘rape’ to the exclusion of the meaning of that word as it often is used in everyday life and of the evidence of what actually occurred between Ms. Carroll and Mr. Trump.”

a reply to: Mahogany

Everyone knows it was BS.

There was no evidence.

She couldn't even remember what year it supposedly happened.

The justice system in this country is completely broken.

a reply to: Mahogany

losing a half a century of their rights,

What Rights have they lost ?

So this was not a criminal case, and the Judge and Jury went on her recollection only with ZERO support from anything. Her recollection was rather odd too, so you have people that most likely said Trump was guilty because it was Trump. If there was actually a crime then why not arrest him and convict him? The OP is laughable in suggesting this is some kind of proof he did it, and the only proof is people still hate him and will do anything to hurt him.

BTW if Trump killed someone on 5th Ave then arrest him, and put him away for life. If someone comes along and says Trump killed someone on 5th Ave sometime in the early 90s, and I'm only taking him to civil court, what does that tell you when the jury says OK its Trump give that person 5 million for killing someone in the early 90s on 5th Ave.

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: Mahogany

losing a half a century of their rights,

What Rights have they lost ?

The bravery of men claiming to be women set actual women back 50 years. Essentially, the unwarranted tolerance of mental illness has toppled womanhood and I'd be mad at everyone else too in order to get that egg of my face.

originally posted by: Mahogany
but since forced penetration occurred, this constitutes as rape, and the money awarded and the penalty stands.

Wait a minute, when was this proven? She couldn't even remember when it happened. I think you had better offer some proof of this grand statement of fact.

a reply to: Mahogany

Happy???

a reply to: network dude

Wait a minute, when was this proven? She couldn't even remember when it happened. I think you had better offer some proof of this grand statement of fact.

You're jabbering as if you're addressing the judge, right? You're not asking the OP to re-try Carol's defamation case all over again in this thread, right?

Almost 20 minutes later and still no answer to my question. I guess this is going to be the usual dump and run. If you can't stick around to defend it, it's a sure sign it's BS.

originally posted by: network dude

originally posted by: Mahogany
but since forced penetration occurred, this constitutes as rape, and the money awarded and the penalty stands.

Wait a minute, when was this proven? She couldn't even remember when it happened. I think you had better offer some proof of this grand statement of fact.

It didnt. the whole store was packed and if she was being"raped" she would had been screaming help. Bitch was straight up lying. It was a NY case and NY juries hate trump for some reason. trials liek this should be decided by a A.I. jury that has no emotion on a topic and apply the law equally.

originally posted by: network dude

Wait a minute, when was this proven? She couldn't even remember when it happened. I think you had better offer some proof of this grand statement of fact.

The Jurors also found Trump had defamed Carroll in comments last fall denying her allegations. So denying the allegations is defamatory now...lol

I tell you this, if someone went this far to ruin my life there would be more recent worst crimes they could get me on.

originally posted by: network dude

originally posted by: Mahogany
but since forced penetration occurred, this constitutes as rape, and the money awarded and the penalty stands.

Wait a minute, when was this proven? She couldn't even remember when it happened. I think you had better offer some proof of this grand statement of fact.

No the jury actually rejected the rape claim. this article is well fake news.

The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carroll’s claim that she was raped, finding Trump responsible for a lesser degree of sexual abuse. The judgment adds to Trump’s legal woes and offers vindication to Carroll, whose allegations had been mocked and dismissed by Trump for years.

apnews.com...

The story never made sense however she claims she was raped in the middle of a store. One scream and people would have been all over the place. Apparently, she put up no fight and didn't make a sound oh and did not tell a single person in the store. I find that scenario highly unlikely cops would have drug him out of there in cuffs.

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: Mahogany

losing a half a century of their rights,

What Rights have they lost ?

The right to a safe and private abortion, for one.

originally posted by: yuppa

It didnt. the whole store was packed and if she was being"raped" she would had been screaming help. Bitch was straight up lying. It was a NY case and NY juries hate trump for some reason. trials liek this should be decided by a A.I. jury that has no emotion on a topic and apply the law equally.

Busy store, Trump follows her into the ladies' dressing room "to try on some clothes for him" and somehow he rapes her and no one knows, no one has seen him there, no video, no nothing to even suggest on a day, or hardly a year he was there.

I say guilty as hell!!!!

On a side note, looking back to how she looked in the 90s I wouldn't see her as someone I wanted to try clothes on for me, saying it nicely.

originally posted by: Byrd

The right to a safe and private abortion, for one.

Was that Trump too? Wow, he sure gets around.

BTW are abortions unsafe and out in the open today?

a reply to: Mahogany

there is a segment of the population that is getting sick of this -- the women

You're absolutely right! As a biological woman for over 7 decades I'm just sick of women 'coming forward' 10, 20 years or more to end careers. It's become a weaponized political tool at this point; nothing more, nothing less.

Are we really supposed to believe no liberal politician ever used their position to sexually abuse women? Oh; that's right; there's a slush fund to sweep their dalliances under the rug.

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: Mahogany

losing a half a century of their rights,

What Rights have they lost ?

The right to a safe and private abortion, for one.

If killing a human is a right, I know a few record execs.....

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Mahogany

Happy???

Not in the least.

How can anyone be happy watching their own nation deteriorate, and it all could have been avoided. All of this is happening because a depraved narcissist is using naive people as support, in order to garner more power and shirk responsibility for his actions. And it's not helping literally anyone. The US was a more peaceful place when he was just a corrupt businessman.

How can anyone be happy about this?

We all lose because of him.

originally posted by: Mahogany

Between losing a half a century of their rights, and the person responsible for that legally being a rapist, I think more and more women will be looking for an alternate. I mean, what choice do they have at this point?

And the best alternative the Democratic party has to offer is a racist pedophile with dementia who wants to force people to take drugs.

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: Mahogany

losing a half a century of their rights,

What Rights have they lost ?

The right to a safe and private abortion, for one.

Can you point out in the Constitution where murdering children is a right.

Or even anywhere abortion is mentioned?