Justice has been served in E. Jean Carroll’s civil case against the former President of the United States. A New York jury found Donal Trump liable for sexually abusing and later, defaming Columnist, E. Jean Carroll. Trump, on the other hand, plans to appeal the “unfair decision”.
E. Jean Carroll Wins $5 Million Damages
Former President Donald Trump is found guilty of sexually abusing E. Jean Caroll in the spring of 1996 and later, defaming her. The New York jury, consisting of nine jurors, deliberated for a few hours before delivering the verdict in the civil suit filed by Carroll.
The columnist has been awarded $5 million for sexual battery and defamation, in a significant defeat for the former president. The civil lawsuit was filed by Carroll last November under the “New York Adult Survivors Act,” a stale bill that allows a look-back window for sexual assault allegations as Carroll’s suit would have been otherwise barred by statutes of limitation.
This being a civil and not a criminal trial, the jury was expected to determine whether Carroll’s legal team had ample evidence to prove Trump committed battery, and released a statement against the lady with “actual malice”.
In closing arguments, Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan reminded the jury that for the battery charge, “all you need is that it is more probable than not” that Trump attacked Carroll to find him liable, which is a much lower standard than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard applied in criminal trials. This is not the case in criminal trials.
Donald Trump Calls The Verdict “Unfair”, Going For An Appeal
After the verdict, Donald Trump called the verdict “a total disgrace” and posted a statement on his Truth Social account. Maintaining his claim that he does not know who Carroll is, Trump wrote: “I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!”
Not only this, but the former president plans to file an appeal before the Manhattan court, stating, “Somehow we’re going to have to fight this stuff. We cannot let our country go into this abyss. This is disgraceful.” The verdict has come as a blow amid his campaigning for the 2024 presidential election. Trump is already facing 34 felony charges in a hush-money case.
