By Natalia Rueda 
A Manhattan jury has found former President Donald Trump liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll, ordering the magnate to pay $5 million in damages in a civil lawsuit.
The jury of six men and three women concluded that Trump, 76, defamed Carroll when he posted a statement on his Truth Social social network in October, calling her case “a complete scam” and “a hoax and a lie.” The jury’s decision followed two weeks of testimony and less than three hours of deliberation. Before siding with Carroll on both claims in her lawsuit: sexual assault and defamation.
The verdict marks a major victory for Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Carroll, who testified during the trial, called Trump’s tweet “cruel and shocking” and said it had caused her to suffer “immense pain and humiliation.”
Trump has denied the allegations and has previously described Carroll as “not my type.” Trump’s lawyers argued during the trial that the comments were protected as free speech and that Trump had never even met Carroll. The jury, however, disagreed.
The ruling is likely to have a major impact on other defamation lawsuits against Trump, including those filed by Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant who accused Trump of unwanted sexual advances, and former New York Times reporter Timothy O’Brien, who was sued by Trump for a book he wrote about the then-reality star.
The ruling marks a major victory for Carroll and other survivors of sexual assault and defamation. It also serves as a reminder that victims of abuse should always come forward and seek justice.
For now, the legal battle between Carroll and Trump is not over. Trump’s attorneys have indicated they plan to appeal the verdict and the case could end up in the Supreme Court. But for now, the ruling stands as a powerful rebuke of Trump’s behavior and a victory for Carroll.