A federal jury in New York City found former President Donald Trump guilty of sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in a civil suit on Tuesday.
The jury, comprising six men and three women, began deliberating on Tuesday morning, the ninth day of the civil trial in Manhattan federal court.
They awarded Carroll $5 million in damages, concluding that Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
Trump has announced plans to appeal the verdict, calling it a “disgrace” and “a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in history.”
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Carroll, 79, accused Trump of raping her in 1996 at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan.
She claimed that the two had a chance encounter at the store, where Trump was shopping for a gift for “a girl.”
According to Carroll, Trump asked for her advice, and the two shopped together before he pushed her into a dressing room and assaulted her.
Trump and his legal team have denied the allegations, arguing that Carroll fabricated the story to boost sales of her book and discredit Trump for political reasons.
In response to Trump’s denial, Carroll filed a defamation claim, alleging that his statements damaged her reputation. Her lawsuit sought compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a retraction from Trump.
During the trial, Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, maintained that Carroll’s story was not credible. “The facts in evidence made plain here that E. Jean Carroll’s story is not worthy of your belief, not even close,” he said.
“Her story – and it’s just that, a story – is not true, she was not raped at Bergdorf Goodman’s. She was not defamed by being called out on making up that story,” Tacopina continued.
Trump did not testify during the trial, but he was deposed on camera in October.
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He continued to deny the allegations, stating, “She’s accusing me of rape, a woman that I have no idea who she is. It came out of the blue. She’s accusing me of rape — of raping her, the worst thing you can do, the worst charge.”
“And you know it’s not true too. You’re a political operative also. You’re a disgrace. But she’s accusing me and so are you of rape, and it never took place,” Trump said.
“And I will tell you I made that statement, and I said, while it’s politically incorrect, she’s not my type. And that’s 100 percent true. She’s not my type,” he continued.
After the verdict was announced, Trump expressed his plans to appeal in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. “We’ll appeal. We got treated very badly by the Clinton-appointed judge,” he said. “And [Carroll] is a Clinton person too.”
He reiterated that he has “no idea who this woman is.”