A jury has found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her 5 million dollars (£4 million) in damages.
The verdict was announced in a federal courtroom in New York City on the first day of jury deliberations. The judgment could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.
Jurors rejected Ms Carroll’s claims that she was raped, but found Mr Trump liable for sexually assaulting her.
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The jury began deliberations in the civil trial over Carroll’s claims that Donald Trump raped her in a luxury Manhattan department store in 1996.
Trump, who did not attend the trial, has insisted he never sexually assaulted Ms Carroll or even knew her. He rejected an invitation to give evidence, which the judge extended through the weekend even after Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said that his client would not testify.
The former US president’s lawyer told the jury in closing arguments on Monday (May 8) that Ms Carroll’s story is too far-fetched to be believed. He said she made it up to fuel sales of a 2019 memoir in which she first publicly revealed her claims and to disparage Trump for political reasons.
Ms Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, cited excerpts from Trump’s October deposition and his notorious comments on a 2005 Access Hollywood video in which he said celebrities can grab women between the legs without asking.
“He didn’t even bother to show up here in person,” Ms Kaplan said, referring to Trump’s absence from court during the two weeks of the trial.
Ms Carroll, 79, testified that she had a chance encounter with Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman store across the street from Trump Tower. She said it was a light-hearted interaction in which they teased each other about trying on a piece of lingerie before Trump became violent inside a fitting room.
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