Former US President Donald Trump Fined Millions for Sexual Assault of Journalist Jean Carroll

Former US President Donald Trump has been fined millions by a New York jury for sexually assaulting journalist Jean Carroll.

The jury awarded Carroll a total of five million US dollars – the equivalent of around 4.53 million euros – in damages.

Donald Trump convicted of sexual assault and defamation

Former US President Donald Trump has to pay millions in damages for sexual assault. This is the verdict of the jury in journalist Jean Carroll’s civil trial against Trump. Carroll had Trump previously accused of raping her in a dressing room in 1996 and the allegations first made public in a book in 2019. After Trump dismissed the 79-year-old’s allegations as lies and accused the former “Elle” columnist of trying to boost sales of her book, she initially sued him for defamation. Last November, she also added allegations of rape to the lawsuit. Although the allegations are already statute-barred under criminal law, Carroll was still able to take civil action against the ex-president.

Now there is an official verdict in the case. A New York jury now has the 76-year-old found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation and ordered Trump to pay around 4.5 million euros in damages. However, the rape allegations were denied.

“This victory is not just for me, but for every woman”

Shortly after the verdict was announced, Carroll released a statement. She sued Trump to “clear her name” and “get her life back”. “This victory is not just for me, but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed,” said Jean Carroll. Roberta Kaplan, the 79-year-old’s attorney, said she hopes this case proves that no one is above the law, including the President of the United States.

Trump himself stayed away from the process. He calls the verdict a “disgrace”, as well as “Sequel to the greatest witch hunt of all time”. His attorney Joseph Tacopina has already announced that he will appeal the verdict. The jury’s decision was “inconsistent” and the court “biased,” Tacopina said.