Donald Trump’s lawyers seek to cut sex abuse jury award from $5M to under $1M

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump say a $5 million jury award for his sexual abuse and defamation of a columnist in a department store dressing room in 1996 should be slashed to less than $1 million. The lawyers noted in a written submission Thursday that a Manhattan federal court jury last month rejected a rape claim made by the writer, E. Jean Carroll. They said the $2 million granted on the sexual abuse claim was grossly excessive and another $2.7 million for compensatory defamation damages was based on pure speculation. Carroll’s attorney called the arguments frivolous.