A New York jury on Tuesday found former president Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s, and for defaming her by branding her a liar, assessing the damages at $5 million.
According to court documents, the jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll, causing damages that the jury assessed at $2 million. They also found the former’s conduct to have been “willfully or wantonly negligent” or “reckless,” which drew an additional $20,000. Finding that defamatory statements made by Trump damaged Carroll’s reputation, the jury awarded her an additional $2.7 million. Finally, in determining the latter was carried out maliciously, the jury awarded the writer $280,000.
Carroll alleges that Trump raped her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s, and then smeared her when she went public with the allegation in 1999. Trump filed a motion to dismiss, which was rejected in January 2023.
Trump is currently embroiled in multiple legal battles as he actively campaigns to return to the White House in 2024.