You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down

     $83.3 million.

     That's what a Manhattan jury awarded former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in her second defamation trial against the man who raped her three decades ago in a changing room. Throw in the original five million penalty and that means Trump's on the hook for nearly ninety million.

     It was just the latest in what will almost surely a massive raft of judgments against Trump in both criminal and civil courts. And it can't be said Trump or his so-called legal counsel did him any favors. Trump was essentially Bart Simpson trying to grab the electrified cupcake over and over despite getting the same result every time.

 

 

     At times, the trial, especially the second one, threatened to turn from a civil proceeding into a psychology experiment: Let's see how often the subject keeps hurting himself in a fruitless quest to get a different result. The answer, obviously, was there's no limit to Trump's stupidity or his absolute refusal to accept culpability for his crimes or the reality of the consequences.

     The reality is that Carroll publicly claimed Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid 90's. While still in the Oval Office in 2019, Trump not only denied the allegations, he'd defamed Carroll in the act of doing so. She sued, taking advantage of a Rape Survivor law that allows victims of rape to file charges years or even decades after the incident. She was awarded $5,000,000. Even for a heavily-leveraged crook like Trump, that would've been puppy chow.

     Then he continued going after her until Carroll and her lead counsel, Robbie Kaplan, filed yet another defamation suit, leading to today's landmark verdict.

     But it was Trump's, and Alina Habba's, ridiculous Sturm und Drang between trials that was notable. About a week before today's verdict (the jury took fewer than three hours to reach it), Joe Tacopina decided to leave the sinking ship, making Habba the lead counsel. 

     There were attempts to stall and delay, relitigate the outcome of the first case, which Judge Kaplan was not going to allow. He claimed presidential immunity, which the 2nd Circuit shot down. There was a social media barrage on Truth Social, resulting in 37 defamatory posts about Carroll over two hours early this morning. In other words, Trump kept exhibiting the same behavior that led to the first verdict, the same exact behavior you'd expect of a guilty man who'd never once suffered consequences for his actions. 

     And Trump's over-the-top theatrics and the stunning lack of professionalism from Alina Habba elevated the trial to such heights that it threatens to bleed into Trump's other trials (including the issue of liquidity. Does he have $83.3 million? Well, his bragging about his wealth in the Letitia James civil trial would seem to indicate so).

     But in the lead-up to the second trial, Trump's deposition was leaked to the media. He insulted Carroll. He insulted Kaplan by telling her she was "wasn't (his) type." He confused Carroll with his second wife, Marla Maples, in a photo taken of him with Carroll, whom he still claims he never met. Then he claimed the photo was blurry. The deposition was boorish and openly misogynistic. And the jury got to see excerpts of it today.

     In other words, Trump never mounted a credible defense that consisted of anything more than simply saying, "I didn't do it, I never met her, she's not my type and she's a wack job."

     During the trial, the bad behavior just got worse. Trump spoke aloud during the proceedings. When Kaplan threatened to remove him from the courtroom, Trump threw up his tiny hands and said, "I'd love it." They showed up late. Habba insisted on relitigating the first case, which Kaplan wouldn't allow. In fact, Habba's behavior was so disrespectful that the judge threatened to throw her in the lockup and she laughed in his face.

     The theatrics finally ended during Robbie Kaplan's closing arguments today at four when Trump got up and walked out of the courtroom. It was the most blatant disrespect of a court's authority in a high profile trial since Charles Manson.

     Except, the theatrics didn't end. Because early tonight, Habba stepped outside the courtroom and delivered a Trumpian rant that Jake Tapper had to cut off in mid sentence. And tonight, Robbie Kaplan put Trump on notice that, if he keeps playing his games, there may be a third trial in the future.

     But today's verdict had a specific purpose: Hit Trump where it hurts the most- In his wallet. Hit him hard enough and maybe it'll make him stop. But preliminary indications are that he will not and he will wind up in court yet again. Because Trump is the ultimate conservative: Someone who is incapable of accepting truth, consequences and judicial authority, who is incapable of modifying his behavior, someone who keeps saying the same things over and over again regardless of the punishment.

     But we're beginning to see a picture emerge: Trump has been found guilty twice of defamation, as well as sexual assault. Rudy Giuliani had already been found liable of defamation against two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, and fined nearly $150,000,000. And, before that, Alex Jones was fined a total of over a billion dollars in two courts for spreading lies and conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook shootings.

     The day of the dog is coming. And the dog in this case is a justice system that's not longer standing for injurious lies that harm peoples' lives, livelihoods and reputations.

     It never should have gotten this far but, as they say, better late than never.