Donald Trump, a former president, was found guilty of harassing, but not raping, his accuser in a department shop dressing room.
A federal jury of nine people unanimously determined on Tuesday in the afternoon that Trump had slandered his accuser, columnist E Jean Carroll. In the mid-1990s, Carroll said that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room. She alleged that he defamed her by calling her case “a hoax and a lie” and “a complete con job” on his Truth Social platform.
The jury of six men and three women awarded Carroll nearly $3million in damages for proving her defamation claim. In addition, the jury said Trump should pay roughly $2million in damages for Carroll’s civil battery allegations, bringing the total to roughly $5million.
Jurors deliberated on Tuesday for more than two-and-a-half hours in Manhattan Federal Court.
As the verdict was read, Carroll ‘had a sense of relief’ and smiled, reported CNN. Carroll hugged her lawyer Roberta Kaplan and Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina shook hands with Carroll and Kaplan.
Since the findings are civil instead of criminal, Trump will not face jail time.
Shortly after the verdict was read, Trump lashed out on Truth Social.
‘I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS,’ he wrote at 3.29pm. ‘THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!’
Trump did not appear in the trial, even though he was given until Sunday evening to decide to testify.
More than a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, but Carroll’s case is the first to have success in court.
Carroll smiled as she was escorted to her car after the verdict.
A woman yelled at Carroll, ‘You’re so brave and beautiful!’
‘Thank you, thank you so much,’ said Carroll.
She did not answer questions on her way out.
Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign stated that ‘this case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win’.
‘In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nation’s justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics,’ stated the Trump campaign.
‘We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing great damage.’
Carroll filed her lawsuit under the Adult Survivor’s Act, which was signed into law in New York last year. It allowed abuse victims a one-time opportunity to sue their alleged perpetrators.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated of the verdict: ‘I was proud to sign the Adult Survivors Act so brave survivors like E Jean Carroll could have their day in court.’
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan before dismissing the jurors told them they could identify themselves to the public but advised them against doing so.
‘Not now and not for a long time,’ said the judge.
‘If you’re one who elects to speak to others and to identify yourselves to others, I direct you not to identify anyone else who sat on this jury. Each of you owes that to the other whatever you decided for yourself.’