(GoRealNewsNow.com) – BREAKING NEWS NOW: Just moments ago, a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in damages.
The verdict was delivered in a New York City federal courtroom, where jurors determined Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation against Carroll but not rape. Trump was not present at the civil trial.
Carroll appeared relieved as the verdict was read, and her lawyers and supporters embraced her. Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, also shook hands with Carroll and her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan.
Trump responded to the verdict on his social media site, denying knowing Carroll and calling the decision “a disgrace” and part of “the greatest witch hunt of all time.”
Carroll is one of over a dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment. She publicly accused Trump of raping her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 2019. Trump, now 76, has denied the allegations, claiming he never met Carroll and called her a “nut job” who fabricated the story to sell her memoir.
Carroll, 79, sought unspecified damages and a retraction of Trump’s defamatory denials.
The trial focused on Trump’s behavior towards women.
Carroll testified for multiple days, supported by two friends who claimed she informed them of the alleged attack shortly after it occurred.
Jurors also heard from Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who accused Trump of groping and forcibly kissing them, respectively. The well-known 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording of Trump discussing kissing and grabbing women without consent was also shown.
Tacopina argued that Carroll’s account was implausible, claiming she invented the story to boost memoir sales and discredit Trump for political reasons. In contrast, Kaplan emphasized Trump’s own words, including his 2005 “Access Hollywood” comments, as evidence of his guilt.
Carroll’s testimony detailed a chance encounter with Trump at a store near Trump Tower, where they playfully interacted before Trump became violent in a dressing room. Tacopina dismissed the need for Trump’s testimony, suggesting Carroll based her claims on a 2012 “Law and Order” episode. However, two of Carroll’s friends testified that she told them about the incident with Trump long before the TV episode aired.
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