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On Tuesday, May 9, Donald Trump spoke out against a defamation case, after he was found guilty of abusing journalist E Jean Carroll in the mid-90's. Carroll claimed that Trump had assaulted her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman Department Store.
While she had initially accused Trump of r*pe, the jury found him liable of physical abuse, a lesser charge.
Disclaimer: This article concerns references to assault. Discretion is advised.
CNN reported that E Jean Carroll will be rewarded $5 million for battery and defamation. The defamation charge stems from Donald Trump claiming that the journalist lied for fame and monetary gain. The former president continues to claim innocence, telling reporters at the trial that he had never met Carroll in his life.
Timeline of the crime against E Jean Carroll
E Jean Carroll first accused Donald Trump of assault on June 21, 2019, when she wrote an account of the incident for a New York magazine article. Carroll said that it occurred some time in late 1995 or early 1996, when she encountered Donald Trump at a Bergdorf Goodman Department store.
As stated by E Jean Carroll, Donald Trump supposedly asked her for help in buying a gift for a woman. Carroll wrote that she and Trump walked through the store, before they eventually ended up in a dressing room together. She claimed that Trump forcefully kissed her before proceeding to assault her. She added that the incident lasted less than three minutes, and that the department store had been empty at the time.
In response to the allegations, Donald Trump claimed that E Jean Carroll had falsified the account in order to sell books. His lawyers also questioned why Carroll had not filed a police report at the time. The journalist responded that she had not considered it due to the emotional distress. She said that she only spoke out decades later after Trump faced similar allegations of misogyny and assault.
In response to Trump's claims that she was lying, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump in November 2019. She said that Trump's incendiary comments had damaged her career and professional reputation. On November 2022, the case became more serious, as Carroll accused him of battery.
She commented on the defamation lawsuit:
"He lied and shattered my reputation, and I am here to try to get my life back."
Upon winning the case, Carroll made an official statement to the Press about her victory.
She said:
"Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed."
According to USA Today, Donald Trump and his associates have been involved in over 4000 legal cases in the US.
