In an ongoing defamation lawsuit in New York City, New York, former President Donald Trump left the courtroom abruptly on Friday, January 26, 2024.

Trump’s sudden exit was during the final arguments made by the lawyer of E. Jean Carroll, Roberta Kaplan.

Caught in a legal dispute with Carroll regarding her claims of sexual assault from the 1990s, Trump’s exit was recorded in the court transcript by Judge Lewis Kaplan.

The trial was centered on the damages that Trump owed to Carroll for his slanderous comments, which rejected her allegations of assault.

Carroll’s legal representatives claimed a minimum of $12 million in reparative damages, plus an unspecified amount in punitive damages. This was in contrast to the defense’s argument that Carroll’s career, which was already on the decline, benefited both financially and in terms of attention from her accusations against Trump.

A jury had previously found Trump guilty of defaming Carroll after she described an alleged sexual assault in a department store in the 1990s. In the current trial, jurors were told to recognize the conclusion of the previous trial that Trump had sexually abused Carroll, although it was not classified as rape under New York law.

The trial was characterized by tense exchanges. Earlier, Judge Kaplan had cautioned Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, about potential detention for trying to bring in unrelated social media posts attacking Carroll.

Additionally, Trump was admonished multiple times by the judge for his audible reactions during witness testimonies.

Notably, Trump left the courtroom after Carroll’s lawyer mentioned his response to the verdict in Carroll’s first case against him. He returned when his own lawyer started the closing argument. Judge Kaplan twice objected to the defense’s claims, which denied the assault and pointed out inconsistencies in Carroll’s story.

After the trial, Trump, who is seeking reelection in 2024, labeled the legal system as “Broken and Unfair!” in a statement on his social media platform.

His reaction was in response to the jury’s decision to award Carroll $18.3 million in reparative damages and $65 million in punitive damages after less than three hours of deliberation.