Former US President Donald Trump has been ordered by the courts to pay $83.3 million (€76.7 million) to a woman he accused of lying about a sexual assault. 

E Jean Carroll brought a defamation case against Mr Trump after he said she lied about him assaulting her in a New York department store in 1996. 

The jury ruled that Ms Carroll was defamed “maliciously and out of hatred”. 

Ms Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, said Mr Trump ruined her career and reputation as a trustworthy journalist by accusing her of lying about the rape allegations. 

It ruled Mr Trump must pay $18.3 million in compensation and $65 million in damages to Ms Carroll. 

Mr Trump stormed out of the courtroom and later called the verdict "ridiculous" - alleging America's legal system's being used as a “political weapon”. 

Posting from his Truth Social account, he said the verdict was “absolutely ridiculous”. 

“I fully disagree with both verdicts and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party,” he wrote. 

"Our Legal System is out of control and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!" 

Ms Carroll also won a separate case against Mr Trump for sexual assault in 2023 and a jury ordered him to pay $5 million. 

Trump in the primaries

Mr Trump remains the frontrunner to be the Republican nominee in the 2024 US presidential elections after winning a primary vote in Iowa and New Hampshire. 

Nikki Haley is his last major challenger in the primaries after Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie dropped out. 

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday it is “now clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee”. 

“And my message to the country is the stakes could not be higher.” 

The Republican nominee will be decided on “Super Tuesday” on March 5th.