E. Jean Carroll was given $5 million for battery and defamation after a federal jury in Manhattan decided that Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her in a changing room at a high-end department shop in the spring of 1996.
Carroll said that Trump had sexually assaulted her in the Bergdorf Goodman department shop. After he denied this, he called Carroll “not his type” and implied that she had made up the incident to increase book sales. Trump said he had done nothing wrong.
Due to the civil judgment, he is not subject to any jail term.The jury found that Trump had sexually assaulted her, which was enough to convict him of battery, but they did not think that Carroll had established that he had raped her.Carroll filed the complaint in November of last year under the “New York State Adult Survivors Act,” a state law that gave sexual assault claims like Carroll’s with long-expired statutes of limitations a look-back window.
Trump did not show up for the trial. He had the same right to remain silent in his own defense as any other defendant in a civil lawsuit because he was not obligated to show up in court for the trial or any other hearings.
Carroll referred to the decision as a win for her and other abuse victims.She claimed in a statement that she brought the case against Trump “to clear my name and to get my life back.” “At last, the world is aware of the truth today. This victory belongs to all women who have suffered because they were not believed, not just to me.
No one is above the law, not even a former President of the United States, said Carroll’s main attorney Roberta Kaplan in a statement that was also made public.
Tuesday night, Trump declared in videos released to his social media network Truth Social that he intended to appeal the decision, labeling it a “disgrace” and “political witch hunt.” He also reiterated his denial that he was aware of Carroll’s existence.
After speaking with the former president, Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina stated outside the court on Tuesday that the former president is “ready to proceed and go forward.”
As many people do, he is adamant that the jury pool in New York City prevents him from receiving a fair trial, according to Tacopina.No self-identification is encouraged for jurors.
After the verdict, the jury was dismissed by Judge Lewis Kaplan (who is not related to the plaintiff’s counsel, Roberta Kaplan), who also informed them that they are now free to publicly identify themselves if they so want. The judge advised them to keep quiet, nevertheless.
“Don’t identify yourselves, is my suggestion to you. Not right now, and not for a while,” Lewis Kaplan said. I command you not to identify any other jury members if you choose to speak to or identify yourself in front of others. Regardless of what you each determined for yourself, you owe the other that.
Carroll clung to her lawyer Shawn Crowley’s hand when the verdict was announced. She seemed to be moving forward while exuding relief. The clerk recited each of the counts in her favor, and they smiled at each other as she did so.
Tacopina, an attorney for Trump, approached Carroll and shook her hand after the judge ordered the jury to go. He also shook hands with her lawyers.
Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lead attorney, and Carroll hugged shoulders. They went out together.
Carroll’s declaration
Carroll provided harrowing details about what transpired in 1996 when testifying last week.
Carroll stated, “I’m here because Donald Trump sexually assaulted me and when I wrote about it, he claimed it didn’t happen. I’m here to try to reclaim my life after he lied and destroyed my reputation.Carroll stated that she is a registered Democrat and that she believes Trump is “evil” and “vile” and was a terrible president, but she insisted during her testimony that her political opinions have nothing to do with her pursuit of this litigation.
Carroll stated, “I’m not making up a political point. He continually called me a liar, and it seriously damaged my reputation. I’m settling a personal score. The readers’ trust is the one thing I need to have as a journalist.
Why didn’t Carroll make her accusations public when Trump was initially running for president was a question raised by Carroll’s lawyer, Michael Ferrara.
She noted that his performance in the polls improved as more women came out to accuse him.
Tacopina frequently probed Carroll during cross-examination about why she didn’t scream throughout the roughly three-minute alleged attack.
Carroll said, “I don’t shout. “I was in too much panic to scream.”
You can’t accuse me of not yelling, she said to the defense attorney. “One of the reasons why women don’t come forward is that they are questioned about why they didn’t shout. Some ladies scream while others do not. Due of that, women remain silent.Trump is a contentious figure, but Tacopina claimed in his closing remarks on Monday that the jury shouldn’t consider this when reaching a decision.
“Feelings toward Donald Trump are really strong. Tacopina remarked, “That’s apparent. “During an election, there’s a time and a place where you can do that in secret; it’s called a ballot box.”
Tacopina continued, “What they want is for you to despise him so much that you don’t care about the facts. “Every piece of unbiased proof points against her.”
Carroll’s rape claim was not accepted by the jury.
Although the jury did not conclude that Carroll had established rape, it did decide that she had established sexual abuse by Trump.
The jurors had been told that forcing another individual into sexual contact without their consent constitutes sexual abuse.
In accordance with New York law, “sexual contact” refers to “any touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a person for the purpose of gratifying the sexual desire of either party.”
According to state law, rape occurs when someone coerces another person into having sexual contact without that person’s permission. This statute defines “sexual intercourse” as “any penetration, however slight, of the penis into the vaginal opening.”
Rape and sexual assault are also considered sexual offenses in New York.
Trump’s eligibility to run for president is unaffected by the verdict.
Trump’s presidential campaign will not be impacted legally by the judgment. For starters, it is a civil lawsuit, and throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump was also involved in several civil actions, such as the fraud cases involving Trump University that were quickly resolved after he was elected, that had nothing to do with the constitutional qualifications for the presidency.
In addition, Trump could be charged with separate crimes. Prosecutors in Manhattan have accused him of paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said they had an extramarital affair; Trump refutes this assertion.
However, from a legal perspective, it is unlikely that the former president’s chances of winning a second term in office would be harmed by a successful criminal trial.
Notably, there is precedent for offenders with felony convictions to run for federal office, including the position of president. When he received more than 900,000 votes in a 1920 presidential election, Eugene V. Debs, a socialist who ran repeatedly for the White House in the early 20th century, was already in prison due to an espionage conviction.
