WASHINGTON: A jury in a civil case has found that former US president Donald Trump sexually abused a magazine columnist in the New York department store in the 1990s. But Trump was not found liable for raping Jean Carroll in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman.
According to the BBC, the jury found Trump liable for defamation for calling the writer’s accusations “the hoax and the lie”.
It is the first time Trump has been found legally responsible for the sexual assault. The Manhattan jury ordered Trump to pay her about 5 million dollars in damages.
The jury of three women and six men reached their decision after less than three hours of deliberations on Tuesday.
“Today, the globe finally knows the truth,” Carroll said in a written statement following the verdict. “This victory isn’t just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she wasn’t believed.”
Trump’s lawyer said the ex-president plans to appeal the decision. Because the trial was in civil court rather than criminal, Trump will not be required to register as a sex offender.
The ex-president denied Carroll’s accusations and didn’t attend the two-week civil trial in the Manhattan federal court. Carroll held the hands of her lawyers as the verdict was read in court and smiled as the jury awarded her damages.
Former president’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, shook her hand as the trial ended, telling her: “Good luck and congratulations.”
Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for a plaintiff, said: “This is a victory not only for E Jean Carroll, but for democracy itself, and all survivors everywhere.”
After the verdict, the ex-president posted on his social media platform Truth Social in all capital letters: “I’ve no idea who this woman is. “This verdict is the disgrace – a continuation of the greatest witch hunt ever!”
The standard of proof in civil cases is lower than in criminal cases, meaning jurors were required to find that it was more likely than not that Trump assaulted Carroll.
While the jury found Trump liable for sexual battery and defamation of Ms Carroll, they did not see Trump responsible for raping her. To do so, the jury must have been convinced that Trump had engaged in non-consensual sexual intercourse with Carroll.
