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A New York jury has ruled that Donald Trump must pay $83.3 million for defaming columnist E Jean Carroll in 2019 when he was the US president.
The civil trial imposed a penalty of $18.3 million for compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages.
The jury found in a previous civil case that Trump had defamed and sexually assaulted Carroll in the 1990s.
Trump pledged to appeal the latest ruling, denouncing it as a witch hunt and describing the verdict as "absolutely ridiculous."
In the latest trial, the jury was tasked with deciding the compensation, if any, to be awarded to Carroll.
The compensatory damages were intended to account for the harm to her reputation and emotional well-being caused by Trump's defamatory comments.
The punitive penalty aimed to deter Trump from further speaking out against her.
Carroll expressed her satisfaction with the jury's decision, calling it a victory for every woman who stands up when knocked down and a defeat for every bully who tries to keep a woman down.
Her attorney, Robbie Kaplan, stated that the verdict proves the law applies to everyone, including the rich, famous, and former presidents.
Trump, who faces four criminal cases with a total of 91 felony counts, has denied any wrongdoing. He is the first US president in history to be charged with a crime.
The former president refrained from directly attacking Carroll after the verdict, focusing instead on criticizing the outcome of the case and announcing his intention to appeal.
Trump's departure from court was abrupt, accompanied by his Secret Service security detail, and occurred after the judge threatened to jail his lawyer for continuing to speak when instructed to be quiet.
The case that concluded on Friday centered on different defamatory comments made by Trump in 2019.
A previous civil trial in 2023 found Trump liable for defamation and ordered him to pay Carroll about $5 million in damages for sexually assaulting her in the 1990s.
The latest trial addressed comments made by Trump in 2019, leading to the jury's decision to impose compensatory and punitive damages.
Despite Trump's absence during the verdict announcement, his social media platform, Truth Social, featured a post in which he expressed complete disagreement with both verdicts, vowing to appeal what he called a Biden-directed witch hunt.
Trump argued that the legal system is out of control and being used as a political weapon, claiming that his First Amendment rights have been taken away.
