E. Jean Carroll’s attorney argued Friday in the defamation trial against former President Donald Trump that the GOP frontrunner should be forced to pay at least $24 million in damages.

During closing arguments, attorney Roberta Kaplan told the jury that Trump’s comments denying sexually abusing Carroll were “designed to humiliate Carroll, and it was a lie,” according to CNN. Last year, a jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a department store back in the 1990s.

“Ms. Carroll must’ve been lying, because she was too ugly or too unattractive for Donald Trump to assault,” Kaplan said, summarizing Trump’s attacks on her client. “What will it take to get Trump to stop?”

Kaplan then cited testimony from Professor Ashlee Humphreys, who testified on the monetary and reputational harm Trump comments have had on Carroll’s career. Kaplan argued that the author would need at least $24 million to begin repairing her reputation on the national stage.

The attorney continued, “In our view, the damage to Ms. Carroll’s sense of self — to her piece of mind — the feeling that we all have that we can go about our lives every day and not be suddenly attacked or raped or killed is very significant, so the dollar number to compensate for that has to be very large.”

“Twenty-five years after Donald Trump sexually assaulted her, Ms. Carroll came forward to tell her story,” Kaplan added. “In response, Donald Trump sought out to ruin her life. Wielding his position as president, he attacked her integrity and her honesty and not only denied the sexual assault, but he said that she made it up for money or fame or part of a conspiracy.”

In the prior defamation case where Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, Carroll was awarded $5 million. The judge in this case already found Trump’s 2019 comments calling Carroll a liar defamatory, so the trial is focused only on what damages Carroll will receive from Trump.

“It will take an unusually high punitive damages award to have any hope of stopping Donald Trump to have a chance of allowing Ms. Carroll’s life to return to normal,” Kaplan told the jury.

The post ‘What Will It Take to Get Trump to Stop?’ Carroll Attorney Urges Jury to Make Trump Pay $24M in Damages first appeared on Mediaite.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/HfuRgxo