On Tuesday, a New York jury found former president Donald Trump civilly liable for sexually abusing and defaming former “Elle” magazine writer E. Jean Carroll.
According to The New York Times, the nine jurors also awarded Carroll, 79, $5 million in damages. Trump was also ordered to pay $20,000 in punitive damages for exhibiting conduct that was “willfully or wantonly negligent, reckless, or done with a conscious disregard of the rights of Ms. Carroll, or was so reckless as to amount to such disregard.”
Additionally, the jury awarded Carroll an additional $280,000 as they determined Trump “acted maliciously, out of hatred, ill will, spite, or wanton, reckless, or willful disregard of the rights of another”
Despite the judgment in Carroll’s favor, the jury rejected her claim that Trump had raped her, but held Trump accountable for sexual misconduct and for defaming Carroll.
Carroll first levied rape accusations against Trump in “New York” magazine in 2019. Carroll said in court that Trump assaulted her 25 years earlier at a department store. According to Carroll, Trump claimed he wanted to buy a present for a woman and asked for her advice.
Carroll testified that the exchange led to a dressing room, where Trump assaulted her.
“He immediately shut the door and shoved me up on the wall,” she said. “I pushed him back, and he threw me back against the wall again, banging my head again.”
According to “New York” magazine, Carroll testified that she did not scream because she did not want to “make a scene.”Several witnesses testified that Carroll had revealed the incident with Trump at the time, and two other women testified that Trump assaulted them years earlier. Trump and his lawyer accused Carroll of falsifying the story to harm him politically.
Trump's response to his guilty verdict for sexual abuse pic.twitter.com/Xv40kG2LAs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 9, 2023
The New York Times reported that Carroll filed her lawsuit under the state’s Adult Survivors Act, which allowed abuse victims a one-time opportunity to sue their abusers even if the statute of limitations had passed.
It took jurors less than three hours to reach a verdict.
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[Featured image: Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP]
