A New York jury has found that Donald Trump sexually abused the advice columnist E Jean Carroll in a New York department store changing room 27 years ago.
The verdict for the first time legally brands a former US president as a sexual predator. But as it is the result of a civil not criminal case, the only legal sanction Trump will face is financial. In explaining a finding of sexual abuse to the jury yesterday, the judge said it had two elements. That Trump subjected Carroll to sexual contact without consent by use of force, and that it was for the purpose of sexual gratification.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours. It did not find that Trump had raped Carroll, but found him liable for sexual abuse.
It awarded about $5m (£4m) in compensatory and punitive damages: about $2m on the sexual abuse count and close to $3m for defamation, for branding her a liar. Before the verdict in the highly charged case, the judge, Lewis A Kaplan, warned the courtroom: "No shouting. No jumping up and down.
No race for the door." After the verdict, as she was escorted to a car, Carroll said: "We're very happy."
George Conway, a conservative lawyer and Trump critic who encouraged Carroll to sue, said on Twitter: "God bless E Jean Carroll and congratulations to Roberta Kaplan [Carroll's attorney] and her team for a job well done."
Trump used his Truth Social platform to say: "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. The verdict is a disgrace - a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time." In his deposition, released to the public last week, Trump mistook a picture of Carroll in his company for a picture of his second wife, Marla Maples.
Politically, Trump has capitalised on his legal woes, leading by wide margins in polling regarding the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Nonetheless, he faces mounting and unprecedented legal danger.
This story is from the May 10, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the May 10, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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