Sexual Assault

An advice columnist who won a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation award against former President Donald Trump has filed an amendment to a second lawsuit against him, asking for another $10 million for remarks he made after the verdict. The amended lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court Monday by lawyers for E. Jean Carroll. Carroll defamation claims against Trump have proceeded in two separate lawsuits, one decided in a trial that just concluded, and another that previously dealt only with derogatory remarks that Trump made in 2019 while he was still president. That lawsuit, which has been tied up in still-unresolved legal appeals, is the one to which Carroll has added her new claims.

Jurors have finished their first day of deliberations without reaching a verdict at the rape retrial of “That ‘70s Show” actor Danny Masterson. The jury of seven men and five women got the case Wednesday morning after prosecutors finished their rebuttal to the defense’s closing argument. The 47-year-old Masterson could get more than 40 years in prison if jurors find him guilty of raping three women between 2001 and 2003. Prosecutors say he drugged the women before assaulting them and used his status in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences. Masterson's defense lawyer says the women's stories are so full of inconsistencies that they lack all credibility.

A prosecutor at the trial of actor Danny Masterson says he drugged women so he could rape them, then used his prominence in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences. Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson urged jurors during closing arguments at Masterson's trial Tuesday to find the former “That ’70s Show” star guilty of raping three women between 2001 and 2003. A mistrial came in Masterson’s first trial in December when jurors deadlocked on all three counts. Masterson's attorney told jurors that inconsistencies in the women's stories are essential to judging their credibility. He continues his closing argument later Tuesday.

Former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election during a tense CNN town hall. He also downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted the woman whom a civil jury this week found him liable of sexually abusing and defaming. During the contentious back-and-forth Wednesday night in early-voting New Hampshire, Trump also refused to say whether he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russian aggression and said the U.S. “might as well” default on its debt obligation, despite the potential devastating economic consequences. The former president was cheered on and applauded by an audience of Republican and unaffiliated voters.

E. Jean Carroll told "CNN This Morning" on Wednesday that it was a "great moment" as a Manhattan federal jury read off a verdict in a civil case finding that Donald Trump sexually abused her in the spring of 1996 and awarded her $5 million for battery and defamation.

A Florida judge appeared skeptical during a court hearing of claims made by Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend. Florida Judge Elizabeth Metzger repeatedly questioned Erica Herman's attorney during Tuesday's hearing. Benjamin Hodas tried to argue that a nondisclosure agreement between the two should be invalidated, questioning whether her signature on the 2017 contract was legitimate or forged. Metzger appeared to side with Woods' attorney that the agreement requires that any legal disputes between the two be handled in private by an arbitrator, not in court. Herman is seeking $30 million, saying she was illegally evicted from Woods' mansion after their breakup last October. She has also claimed sexual harassment, an allegation Woods' attorney denies.