Judge Upholds $5 Million Verdict Against Trump in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

A federal judge has upheld a $5 million jury verdict against former President Donald Trump in a writer's sexual abuse and defamation case. The judge rejected Trump's claims that the award was excessive and that the jury vindicated him by failing to conclude he raped the columnist. The judge stated that the jury's unanimous verdict was mostly in favor of the writer, E. Jean Carroll, and that Trump had deliberately and forcibly penetrated her vagina with his fingers, causing immediate pain and lasting emotional harm. Trump's lawyers have amended their appeal to include the judge's ruling, and Carroll looks forward to receiving the awarded damages. A second defamation trial against Trump is scheduled for January.