Trump liable for sexually abusing writer, faces $5 million in damages
The verdict is the first time Trump has faced legal consequences over sexual misconduct allegations dating back decades and involving a dozen women
A U.S. jury found Donald Trump liable on Tuesday for sexually abusing and defaming a former magazine columnist and ordered the former U.S. president to pay her $5 million in damages.
The nine jurors rejected E. Jean Carroll's accusation of rape, but upheld her other complaints in the closely watched civil trial that followed less than three hours of deliberations. Their verdict in the lawsuit is the first time Trump has faced legal consequences over sexual misconduct allegations dating back decades and involving a dozen women.
Carroll, 79, sued Trump last year, alleging that he raped her in the changing room of a luxury store in Manhattan in 1996. The former columnist for Elle magazine also claimed that Trump defamed her when he called her "a complete con job" after she went public with the allegation in 2019.
Trump has also called her case a "hoax" and a "lie."
Carroll told the two-week-long civil trial that the alleged assault left her feeling "ashamed" and unable to have romantic relationships. She said it took her over 20 years to go public because she was "frightened" by Trump.
Her lawyers called to the witness stand two other women who testified that Trump sexually assaulted them decades ago – former businesswoman Jessica Leeds, who said Trump groped her on a flight in the 1970s, and journalist Natasha Stoynoff, who accused Trump of kissing her without her consent in 2005.
Around a dozen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct ahead of the 2016 election that sent him to the White House. He has denied all the allegations and has never been prosecuted over any of them.