A federal jury on Tuesday found former President Donald Trump liable of sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll after she filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape. He was ordered to pay over $5 million in damages.
The jury deliberated for only three hours before reaching a decision, which was announced in court shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The trial centered around Carroll’s allegations that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s, and she is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
While Trump could not be prosecuted for the alleged rape due to the statute of limitations, Carroll is pursuing a civil claim under a New York state law passed in 2022 that gave a one-year window for lawsuits alleging sexual assaults that would typically be prohibited due to the statute of limitations. The jury, consisting of six men and three women, was tasked with deciding if Carroll’s claims of battery and defamation are proven and if damages should be awarded.
In the trial, portions of Trump’s deposition were played for the jury, and witnesses testified that Carroll had confided in them about the alleged rape shortly after it occurred. Two other women also testified that Trump had kissed and groped them without consent in separate incidents. The jury considered whether Carroll proved her claims by a preponderance of the evidence or by clear and convincing evidence, which is a lower burden of proof than in criminal cases.
For the battery claim, the jury was tasked with deciding whether Trump raped Carroll, sexually abused her, and forcibly touched her, and whether she was injured as a result. On the defamation claim, the jury assessed whether Trump’s statement was defamatory, false, and made with actual malice and then decide if monetary damages should be awarded.
Trump did not appear at the trial, as defendants in civil cases are not required to attend or testify. Carroll’s attorneys presented Trump’s absence as a sign of culpability, while Trump’s attorney argued that his client’s denials had already been made in a video deposition played during the trial.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!”
Trump’s legal team challenged the credibility of the witnesses and accused Carroll of fabricating her rape allegations. Expert witnesses testified about the impact of Trump’s denial statements on Carroll’s reputation and estimated that millions of people were likely influenced by Trump’s denial. However, the analysis did not consider any damage done to Trump by Carroll’s statements against him.
It is not yet known whether the former president will appeal the case.