Donald Trump has been found liable for the sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll and has been ordered to pay $5 million in damages.
Donald Trump has been asked by the jury to pay $5 million to E. Jean Carroll, a magazine writer in the 1990s, for defaming her by calling her a liar.
He was accused of sexually assaulting her during a chance encounter at a Manhattan department store. Trump had called her claims “a complete con job,” “a hoax,” and “a lie.” He had been sued last year for battery and defamation.
Carroll first publicly accused Trump in 2019, during his presidency, describing their encounter in a memoir. She wrote that Trump had violently attacked her in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman, a department store.
Trump’s attorneys had tried to convince the jury that the story was not believable; however, Carroll testified in graphic detail about the attack. Trump did not appear for the testimony, as he was under no obligation to attend the proceedings.
Voter’s reaction
Trump has portrayed the uncanny ability to overcome controversies that might sink other politicians. He is the front-runner in opinion polls for the Republican presidential nomination.
He will face no criminal consequences, as this was a civil case. In America’s current political environment, which is highly polarised, the verdict will likely have little impact on his core supporters, who view his legal battles as the opposition’s efforts to undermine him.
People who are against him will remain that way; his supporters are not going to pay much attention to this, and the ones who are ambivalent are not going to be moved by this type of thing, according to a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.
Trump has portrayed this accusation as a democratic plot. He has said Carroll made up the allegation to increase the sales of the memoir and to politically harm him.
He also posted two videos on his social media account where he called the verdict a “disgrace, a “sham,” and a “continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time.”
Last month, after he was charged with falsifying business records over an under-the-table payment to a porn star before his 2016 presidential victory, his poll numbers improved.
Any negative effect that the trial will have will likely be limited to suburban women and modern Republicans.
Several other women, like Natasha Stoynoff, a former People magazine reporter, and a woman named Jessica Leeds, testified against Trump. Jurors also heard clips from a 2005 video where he derogated and disrespected women.
Trump’s lawyers heckled by protestors
Following the verdict on Tuesday, a throng of reporters, photographers, and people gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse to catch a glimpse of the court drama that has dragged on for two long weeks.
Trump’s defence lawyer, Joe Tacopina, and his team were mobbed by reporters. He looked at ease while answering the questions and confirmed that they would be appealing the court’s decision. He also confirmed that Trump would be carrying on with his re-election campaign.
Trump’s legal team attacked Carroll’s legitimacy and questioned why she had never reported the incident to the police or screamed for help during the alleged incident.
Several protesters hurled insults and expletives at the lawyer. Women were seen standing with black signs calling Trump a rapist and a predator.
The protestor tailed Tacopina while he was leaving and chanted, “Loser! Loser! No defence for that rapist!,” while another woman yelled that there should be no defence for predators.
Tacopina looked amused by the reaction of the people.
