A jury in New York City issued a verdict in favor of writer E. Jean Carroll and found former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing her in a dressing room in a New York City department store in the 1990s but not for her alleged rape.
On Tuesday, the jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages for her defamation and battery suit. The six men and three women found Trump guilty of defaming Carroll by calling her claims a “hoax” and a “con job.” After three hours of deliberations, the jury awarded Carroll about $2 million on the battery and about $3 million on the defamation claims.
Last year, Carroll filed the lawsuit against Trump, alleging that he sexually assaulted her and raped her inside the Bergdorf Goodman store in either 1995 or 1996. Trump has consistently denied Carroll’s claims, calling her account a fiction she concocted to boost book sales. Trump did not testify, but parts of his video deposition from October last year were played for the jury. The 2024 presidential candidate blasted the verdict on Truth Social shortly after it was handed down.
Carroll said she met Trump once in the late 1980s before bumping into him at the upscale Bergdorf Goodman store entrance. Carroll alleged that Trump motioned her toward the dressing room and that when she went in, he closed the door, shoved her against the wall and raped her. Carroll repeatedly told jurors about the rape.
This is the first time a previous president has been found civilly liable for sexual misconduct. The verdict has no criminal implications for Trump.
Carroll released a statement on Tuesday saying the world had finally known the truth.
In a separate statement, Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, expressed joy that the jury found Trump guilty, emphasizing that no one, even a former president, is immune to the law.
William Asa Hutchinson, a Republican presidential candidate who is critical of Trump, regarded the verdict as a significant event that should be taken seriously and cited it as another example of Trump’s unacceptable conduct.
A Trump campaign spokesperson announced that they would appeal the verdict.