Jury finds Donald Trump sexually abused columnist E Jean Carroll | Donald Trump

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A New York jury found on Tuesday that Donald Trump sexually abused advice columnist E Jean Carroll in a New York department store changing room 27 years ago.

The verdict is the first time a former US president has been legally labeled a sexual predator. But since this is the result of a civil and not a criminal case, the only legal punishment Trump will face is financial.

In explaining the finding of sexual abuse to the jury, the judge said it had two elements. That Trump subjected Carroll to sexual intercourse without consent through the use of force, and that it was for the purpose of sexual gratification.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours. It did not find Trump raped Carroll, but did find him liable for sexual abuse.

It awarded about $5m in compensatory and punitive damages: about $2m on the sexual abuse count and close to $3m for defamation, for branding him a liar.

Before the verdict in the high-profile case, the judge, Lewis A Kaplan, warned the courtroom: No shouting. No jumps. No race for the door.

After the verdict, as he was led away in a car, Carroll said: We are very happy.

George Conway, a conservative lawyer and Trump critic who urged Carroll to sue, said on Twitter: God bless E Jean Carroll and congratulations to Roberta Kaplan [Carrolls attorney] and his team for a job well done.

Trump used his Truth Social platform to say: I have no idea who this woman is. The verdict is a shame a continuation of the greatest shooting of all time.

In his deposition, which was made public last week, Trump mistook a photo of Carroll at his company for a photo of his second wife, Marla Maples.

On Tuesday, lawyers for Trump released a statement deriding the case as bogus and saying they would appeal and ultimately win.

Donald Trump confused E Jean Carroll with ex-wife in 2022 deposition video

Politically, Trump has capitalized on his legal problems, leading by a wide margin in the polls regarding the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. However, he faces mounting legal risks.

In New York last month, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.

Trump appears likely to face criminal charges over attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, and is also the target of a federal investigation into his actions surrounding the election, including his incitement to -attack on the US Capitol.

A federal special counsel is also investigating the stash of classified documents at his Florida property. In New York, Trump faces a civil lawsuit over his business and tax matters.

In Carroll’s case, a jury of three women and six men was convinced by Carrolls testimony over three days, describing events in a New York department store changing room in 1996.

Trumps attorney, Joe Tacopina, said he will use Carrolls own words to refute his allegation, which shows that the former Elle magazine columnist conspired with friends to falsely accuse the former president because they hate Trump and his politics.

But in seven days of testimony, he failed to do either.

Carroll testified that the assault caused him to be unable to have a romantic relationship. She said Trump ruined my reputation by denying the attack when she went public in 2019, then Elle fired her within months. Trump repeatedly called Carroll a liar, including after his first day of testimony when he claimed a fabricated SCAM.

Carroll said at trial that he bumped into Trump as he was leaving the Bergdorf Goodman department store one evening in the spring of 1996.

He said, I have to buy a present, come help me, he said. I was happy.

Carroll said she suggested a handbag or a hat but she wasn’t interested.

She said, I know, lingerie, she said. He led the way to the escalator.

Carroll describes herself as completely enchanted and delighted to go to the lingerie department. She told the court that Trump grabbed a bodysuit and told her to try it on.

I have no intention of wearing it. I said, Wear it, your color, he said.

Carroll said Trump suggested they both try it, and motioned toward the dressing room. He thought it was all a joke. The mood changed quickly.

E Jean Carroll appeared in Manhattan federal court, on Tuesday, in New York. Photo: John Minchillo/AP

He immediately closed the door and leaned me against the wall. He pushed me so hard that I hit my head. I was very confused, he said.

Carroll says the situation has become completely bleak.

He bent down and pulled down my tights, he said. I pushed him back. It’s pretty clear that I don’t want anything else to happen.

Speaking quietly and slowly, she said Trump raped her.

Carroll said he will always regret going into the dressing room with Trump. She broke down in tears as she explained that since the rape, it was impossible to even smile at a man she was attracted to, and this marked the end of her sex life.

Two of Carrolls’ friends told the trial that he had confessed to them immediately after the attack but had been sworn to secrecy.

Tacopina challenged Carroll in nearly two days of cross-examination. The attorney focused on her actions during and immediately after the attack, questioning why she didn’t scream or call the police, and why she waited more than 20 years to publicly accuse Trump.

But the questioning collapsed as Carroll gave confident and believable explanations, saying her inability to give a reason for not screaming was not evidence she was lying.

One of the reasons women don’t come forward is because they are always asked, Why didn’t you scream? Some women shouted. Some women don’t. It calms the women down, he said.

Carroll says she’s embarrassed to go to the police, even though that’s the advice she gave in her Elle column.

I was born in 1943. I am a member of the silent generation. Girls like me are taught to keep a low profile and not complain. I’m not going to call the police about something I’m ashamed of.

I will never talk about what Donald Trump did, he said.

But she was motivated to speak out as the #MeToo movement took off and women across the US related experiences of sexual assault and harassment.

Carroll also sued Trump for defamation, expecting him to say they had a consensual encounter, not denying it outright.

It hit me and it laid me down because I lost my reputation. No one looked at me the same. It is gone. Even people who know me look at me with pity in their eyes, and people who don’t have an opinion now think I’m a liar and hate me, he said.

Carroll said he considers Trump to be evil and a terrible president but declined to bring the lawsuit because of his political views.

I’m not settling a political score. Im settling a personal score, he said.

Asked if he regretted accusing Trump, given the consequences, his voice broke.

I regretted it almost 100 times but, in the end, to get my day in court finally was everything, he said, through tears.

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