Donald Trump stormed out of a Manhattan federal courtroom just minutes after lawyer E. Jean Carroll began delivering closing arguments asking a jury to make the former president pay at least $24 million in damages.
Trump, 77, stood up and abruptly left the courtroom around 9:58 a.m., about five minutes into Roberta Kaplan’s closing remarks, in which she argued that the defamation trial was “about getting [Trump] to stop once and for all” openly attacked Carroll.
Judge Lewis Kaplan (no relation to Roberta Kaplan) had to interject, saying, “The record will reflect that Mr. Trump just got up and walked out of the courtroom.”
“Defense counsel needs to remain seated,” the judge told Trump’s team.
The dramatic moment came after the judge warned everyone in the courtroom to remain silent during the lawyers’ arguments.
Donald Trump stormed out of the courtroom during the closing arguments of lawyer E. Jean Carroll — who told jurors to pay him more than $24 million in damages. Reuters
The real estate tycoon does not have to attend a civil trial as he would in a criminal case. But he said he wanted to be present all day – and only missed one of the five days to attend the funeral of his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, mother of Melania Trump.
In fact, the GOP presidential front-runner canceled a Friday trip to Arizona, where he was scheduled to speak at a Republican event, so he could attend the final day of the trial.
Roberta Kaplan told jurors during the roughly one-hour presentation that the trial was “about punishing” the former commander-in-chief for his repeated statements allegedly defaming the “Ask E. Jean” advice columnist.
Donald Trump’s courtroom sketch storms out of the courtroom. AP
Carroll’s side has argued that Trump “let go of his followers” on her when he denied knowing her and said she wasn’t his type in June 2019 – just hours after she first revealed her sexual assault allegations.
Trump’s remarks about Carroll, made from the White House lawn while he was in office, destroyed his reputation as a respected journalist and prompted online trolls to send him hateful messages — and even death threats — that he still receives today, his lawyers allege. .
And a jury last year ordered Trump to pay $5 million after finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll didn’t stop Trump from continuing to defame Carroll, Roberta Kaplan said.
Carroll sued Trump for defamation by denying he knew her after she accused him of sexually assaulting her. Getty Images
“This case is about asking him to stop forever,” he said.
“He ignored other decisions as if they didn’t happen,” the lawyer added later. “Given Donald Trump’s insistence on continuing to slander Ms. Carroll and given her enormous wealth, how much will it take to make her stop?”
Roberta Kaplan asked the jury to award Carroll $12 million to repair his reputation, at least another $12 million for Carroll’s pain and suffering and additional money in punitive damages.
The attorney did not suggest a number for punitive damages but asked that the figure be “meaningful,” arguing that it may be Carroll’s “only hope … to be free from Donald Trump’s relentless attacks.”
He also argued that Trump only cares about cash, so the jury should hit him where it hurts.
Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba told jurors that the former president should not be held responsible for the online hate Carroll received after going public. SARAH YENESEL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The one thing that Donald Trump cares about is money,” Roberta Kaplan said. “While Donald Trump doesn’t care about the law, he doesn’t care about the truth — he cares about money.”
After Roberta Kaplan concluded, Trump returned to the courtroom to hear his attorney Alina Habba deliver her closing.
Habba argued that Trump should not have to pay for the hateful messages sent by online trolls to Carroll and claimed any public statements he made about Carroll were only meant to defend himself.
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” Habba said during an animated speech, complete with Trump-like expanded hands — who watched from the defense table.
“President Trump has no more control over the thoughts of social media users than the weather,” he said.
A jury in a separate but related case found Trump liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room in 1996 and ordered him to pay $5 million. Reuters
“President Trump should not pay for their threats,” Habba said. “He didn’t forgive them, he didn’t instruct them, he just told the truth.”
At one point, Judge Kaplan interrupted Habba when he mentioned that Trump denied raping Carroll.
The judge dismissed the statement from the record and told jurors to disregard it, reminding them that Trump had been found guilty of sexually assaulting her.
“You will not fight with me,” snapped the judge when Habba tried to answer.
Earlier in the day, Judge Kaplan also clashed with Habba when he argued to keep one of the slides in his presentation, over Kaplan’s decision to block him.
“Ms. Habba, you almost spent time in the lockup. Sit!” said the judge at the beginning of the day.
After Carroll revealed her allegations in June 2019, Trump denied ever knowing her and said she was not his type. Reuters
After Habba finished his closing, Trump remained in the courtroom while Carroll’s other attorney, Shawn Crowley, began his rebuttal argument, calling the 45th president a liar.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the ‘truth’ is a lie,” Crowley told the jury. “That may be the way Donald Trump lives his life, but that’s not how it works in a court of law.”
Crowley criticized Trump for walking out earlier in the day, suggesting it was an example of a lack of respect for the legal system.
“The man who did this to [Carroll], the man who sexually assaulted her, she can do whatever she wants. He can ignore the jury’s verdict,” Crowley said.
“You saw how he behaved during this trial. You saw him leave the courtroom while Ms. Kaplan was speaking.”
After closing was completed before 1 p.m., the judge instructed the jury before releasing them to begin deliberations over lunch.
Kaplan told jurors that if they decide in favor of Trump, they should award a $1 verdict, and if they find in favor of Carroll, they should decide what amount they feel is appropriate.
On Thursday, Trump testified for under three minutes after Judge Kaplan limited the questions Habba was allowed to ask him and the topics Trump could discuss when he answered.
Trump has denied the allegations and called the trial a “hoax”.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
