Public sentiment regarding the Trump defamation case is predominantly negative, with a considerable portion of individuals expressing anger over Trump's legal tactics and perceived misuse of resources. There is a notable division in opinions, with some supporting the verdict against him as a step toward accountability, while others believe the case is politically motivated and unjust. Overall, many commenters demand accountability and justice, particularly in support of E. Jean Carroll.

Donald Trump

E. Jean Carroll

U.S. Justice System


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Presidential immunity covering sexual assault is such a wild angle to take.

Where in the Constitution does it give the chief executive the power to rape?

jediporcupine

E. Jean carroll should stay far away from first floor windows. I don't trust Trump at all.

Prestigious-Carry907

Where’s the MAGA crowd now? 

If anybody wants to see what they’re thinking about just look at the conservative page. They refused to acknowledge that the speaker of the house went off on a rant about how Trump was a FBI informant for the Epstein case, and already walked back on it… 

This story? Crickets also. Hilarious. 

But they are all for bombing boats with civilians in them. Apparently that’s a punishable by death crime with zero due process or proof. Boating is death now.

dmstattoosnbongs

"well ill just take it up with MY judges..."

slimeslug

E Jean, I speak for many when I say I’m pulling for you, and I have nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for your ability to keep fighting for what this asshole owes you, even though no amount of money could ever replace what he’s put you through.

definitelytheA

smellslikebigfootdic

Pay her now or pay with interest from your estate. Vegas money is on her owning Mara Largo in the near future.  / s

StandardImpact6458

He gonna take his swollen ankles back to SCOTUS to try and get this one overturned too?

Ohuigin

Yet, has he paid anything? No? Well, that’s the point.

MayIServeYouWell

This is such a slippery slope.  If Trump can be fined for sexually assaulting a woman, that means EVERY politician could be in trouble if they rape or sexually assault someone!  

(obviously /s)

medullah

artwarrior

Cool but he’s so Rich now it doesn’t hurt him and there are absolutely zero political repercussions from this case.

FranksGun

I read a profile on trump way before he ran for president (if anyone knows what I am talking about please let me know—I’m looking for the article), and as a thank you for his time, the writer gifted him a check for like 50 dollars? The writer did it knowing that trump loves money, and to see how he would react. Trump cashed it. If trump loves money that much, 80 million is going to definitely piss him off and he will try to keep it. This isn’t over ha. 

Release the files

zooalbert

And yet Trump got his dues for the overvaluing of his properties reduced to zero.

And Alex Jones has still paid nothing to Sandy Hook's families.

CT_Phipps-Author

The Supreme Court will be the deciding factor

warlockflame69

The bigliestest loser he knows, everyone says he's the best loser rapist they know!!! The absolute rapiest raper ever, ever!!!

sonicsludge

He’s going to appeal this again and again… that fucker loves being in court.

HaliBUTTsteak

Isn’t that weekly interest on the $6 billion his family is estimated to have made from this presidential term?

Seems like anything other than writing a check today would be contemptible bad faith.

Hobbes604

jffblm74

I voted for Trump to ruin the economy. I’m winning!!!

providencetoday

Good. Time for the adjudicated rapist to pay up.

Crypton_2021

Still a rapist. Still a pedophile. Still the President. Shameful times.

SardonicSillies

So what happens next, 90 days to appeal to supreme court same as his $5 million order?

FrankTooby

Is this presidency just trump suing people

Ben_dover8201

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It's not just a dollar judgement. The verdict says that he is a sexual abuser.

Donald Trump is a sexual abuser, and another court has confirmed this fact.

kevendo

LiveAd3962

I’d say I’m surprised he still hasn’t paid her. But I’m not. 

I’d say I’m surprised he’s arguing expanded immunity. Even though the crime is from before he was president, so that immunity wouldn’t apply. But again, I’m not. 

Can’t wait for him to explain why it’s the responsibility of the taxpayers to pay this, because he’s president, and whatever bullshit he decides to say.

SmoothConfection1115

On to the most crooked court in the land. 

Daily reminder that you're a joke, SCOTUS.

shottylaw

He can probably afford that 100 times over. But he's so petty he can't admit being wrong.

And the only thing he's achieving is keeping this story in the public eye.

whooo_me

What happens to this case if either one of them dies?

nabuhabu

Dear god, can we hire a fifth grade teacher to explain the situation to this clown. Maybe she/he could hold a class for his entire DoJ? Because lord knows, they need it simplified about 8 to 10 more times. *Minimally*.

outerworldLV

Almost none. Completely aside from truth being a defense and other defenses, to defame a public figure, the statement has to be made with actual malice, which means it was made knowingly false or with a reckless disregard for the truth.

FREE-ROSCOE-FILBURN

Other politicians say way crazier shit that are straight up false and get away with it sooo

thechemistrychef

Zero.  The judge’s finding in the criminal case would be collateral estoppel in the civil case.  She’d win summary judgment… but not before taking thorough discovery on the Carroll rape and Epstein files.

ajcpullcom

Like unless the judge is super partisan, zero.

Even leaving aside that public figures have a much higher bar to clear to prove defamation, someone's opinion of publicly available evidence does not rise to the level of defamation.  She would have to be claiming a statement of fact implying that she has evidence that everyone else doesn't.  But declaring Trump a rapist is not only a fair conclusion for a reasonable person to make regarding the available evidence, it's already been done in a court of law.

UltimateChaos233

The Streisand Effect stemming from a defamation case would be interesting.

BornFree2018

It depends does AOC have any major corporate mergers coming up that the FCC could block for completely unrelated issues until someone bows to Trump?

That seems to be the current game plan that was used against CBS and T mobile

sabek

Depending on the jurisdiction, it’s more likely that Trump would be liable to AOC for trying to chill her speech for calling it defamation. 

Many_Collection_8889

As one of the Epstein files is Trump, Epstein and a 13 year old girl who claimed to be raped by both men. I am certain Trump would want this re-litigated.

sjeve108

Trump certainly did rape E. Jean Caroll, according to Judge Kaplan, and the federal definition of a "sexual act upon another person"  as "the penetration, however slight, of the vulva or penis or anus of another by any part of the body \[fingers\] or any object, with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade any person or to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person."  10 U.S. Code § 920 - Art. 120

Presiding Judge Kaplan- "The finding that Ms. Carroll failed to prove that she was 'raped' within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump 'raped' her as many people commonly understand the word 'rape. Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that." 

Trump's counter defamation claim was tossed out because his rape of Carroll was ruled as "substantially true."

Shaku_Buku

He would be open to discovery including prior sexual abuse claims and access to the actual Epstein files. As Dean Werner said: Zero point Zero.

Billyosler1969

Like everyone else here, I think the chances of a successful lawsuit by Trump against anyone for publicly making that statement are effectively zero. The gist of the statement is true, *Masson v New Yorker Magazine*, and that’s fatal to a defamation case.

I don’t agree with u/StobbsTheTiger that the Speech  or Debate Clause offers a Congressional defamation defendant any succor in these circumstances, and as he or she correctly observes, the Westfall Act requires the Attorney General to certify that the act is an official duty in order to trigger the tort immunity. I am not nearly as sanguine that this would result in a non-justiciable question, especially since here there’s an easy alternative disposition in substantial truth.

Still, though, absolutely a colorable argument.

Bricker1492

Do you really think DJT wants to argue, “I am only a sexual abuser, not rapist!!”

Corpshark

Not a legal opinion, but it would seem to be impossible to defame a sitting US President. Any lawsuit *should* be considered a violation of the person’s first amendment rights.

UseDaSchwartz

Well, if you look at her statement,  she never mentioned Trump by name. She stated that electing a rapist would complicate the Epstein files release.

catkm24

He’s a rapist. A jury found him to be a rapist. He’s also a public figure. If you somehow *know* Trump is *not* a rapist and make the statement with actual malice, you can lose. Short of that, you’re not losing.

LawyerOfBirds

RedSunCinema

The FBI definition says that is rape. The jury used the word rape in its verdict too. She doesn’t have a legal problem.

bradleyoilermfa

Thats not true!  The judge said it was rape!

Express-Internal2167

I know nothing about law but isn't a rapist by definition a criminal and objective label meaning one who has been convicted of rape.  Since Trump has never been criminally convicted of the crime of rape it would seem to be an easy case of defamation to me.  Thoughts??

hbsquatch

I mean its winnable if he especially was found innocent for it in the court of law

Repulsive_Throat_731

“Substantially true” would almost certainly cover this. Additionally, Trump being a public official means she would have to either know or should have know it was false.

atamicbomb

She didn’t call Trump a rapist. She wrote: “Wow, who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” Could have been anyone elected to anything.

Madamecurious1930

ABC and George Stephenopoulos had to pay $15 million or $16 million to trump for calling him a rapist. What sort of protection does AOC have that this company and commentator didn’t?

Firm-Vermicelli-7683

Why would he do that? Conservatives need crazy radicals like AOC to stick around. The more radical the left becomes, the less of a chance they will regain power.

CEastwood84

She has sovereign immunity. Regardless of the truth of her claim, AOC would be protected by the Speech or Debate Clause and the Westfall Act. It would be fair to say that communications on X would constitute official duties because she is making them in her role as a Representative. The Westfall Act gives her absolute immunity to common law tort claims.

StobbstheTiger

They're going to rip out the page with Trump's letter arent they

MissionCreeper

Let's see whether the **entire** contents are released or not. This is an all-or-nothing situation. I don't want to just see Republican names or just Democrat names.

xibeno9261

"We have reviewed the documents and are prepared to make recommendations to the Department of Justice against Gavin Newsome, George Soros, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and the country of Greenland.  No, you can't see the documents."

frobischer

taz_78

Cirieno

Prepare for every mention of Donald Trump, who many people are saying has recently been replaced with a body double or clone, to be redacted.

vandal-x

Why is there still an Epstein estate? Sel it off and give money to his victim.

3D-Dreams

You can’t trust the American Gov anymore.   Need an international panel

Shageen

akeirans

I have a feeling this is going to amount to nothing.

Starbucket88

Congress?  That band of thieves?  I hope they keep a copy.

Low_Pressure_5634

cookiesandpunch

BillySlang

Cameras everywhere, but the “smoking gun” is a sketch?

CulturalDuty8471

Is there maybe a more responsible body we can give it to?

iAmSamFromWSB

And this is why Trump is ramping up with his talk of war and no one knowing what's coming. He has to keep people distracted because while they can keep playing these games, none of it will actually stand up to scrutiny. We can expect even more chaos in the upcoming weeks.

OwlishIntergalactic

The birthday book is no big deal, it's a red herring. 

Maxwell rang up everyone in Epstein's black book and asked then to write something fun or nice for the book. 


That's it. 


There was nothing spontaneous about it. 


I've done them for clients. Anyone can have one done.


Just remember to get all worked up because Bill Clinton wrote something benign and boring.

Wwwweeeeeeee

Herban_Myth

The Republican committee who will review it - “no mention of Trump”

Uberslaughter

Isn’t one of those letters the basis of Trump’s 10 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch? Oh well. Problem solved, I guess?

damnthistrafficjam

What about the ACTUAL evidence of all the pedo stuff that they have?

Ballet_blue_icee

ZucchiniIntrepid719

Of course, so it can get hidden.
They need to release it publicly.

luciferxf

Maybe they should wait until Trump and his sycophantic congress isn’t in power? Or hand it to a reliable journalist like Amy Goodman?

kinotravels

Y0___0Y

That definitely wasn’t a letter you write to someone you haven’t had a three way with.

ZestyOcto

Ohhhh, lots folks gonna be falling outta windows soon

mrbbrj

joat2

Damn, Epstein's book is the new plot twist we didn't need.

firooche

Please make many copies before you give it away, and sign nothing

bryans_alright

Careful… make sure the Maggats don’t make that dissapear also

BluemoonSamurai_

I hope she can counter sue for legal fees and mental trauma.

PaddlingInCircles

How wrong is it that a sitting president is filing personal lawsuits of any type let alone for defamation. This truly is a circus.

hectorbrydan

BaconandMegs3000

He would have likely also lost the CBS 60 minutes case as well but Paramount wanted the merger to go through.

artificial_ben

Agile_Sheepherder_77

ace72ace

[deleted]

pekak62

Ahahahahahah… wait… wait… ahahhahahahha
LOSER!!!
Hey MAGA- how does it feel to have a LOSER as president??? - feel great yet?

Unfair_Highway6667

He should take himself to court for constantly defaming himself.  And for being a piece of shit!

Dubski7707

A federal appeals court upheld a substantial verdict against former President Donald Trump for defaming author E. Jean Carroll, amid broader scrutiny of his actions.

Trump Defamation Case

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