A Manhattan jury has delivered a verdict in the E. Jean Carroll rape and defamation case brought against President Trump, in which she accused Trump of raping her in the mid-nineties.
Blaze News had more.
The jurors, six men and three women, completed deliberations in about three hours. They awarded 79-year-old Carroll $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages in the civil case.
BREAKING
NY civil court finds that President Trump “forcibly touched” E. Jean Carroll.
Despite the fact that she doesn’t even know what year he “assaulted” her in.
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) May 9, 2023
President Trump quickly took to Truth Social in response to the verdict, claiming the attack is another play in the witch hunt against him.
🚨 Trump reacts to the E. Jean Carroll verdict pic.twitter.com/sJE3HB4wgW
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 9, 2023
Fox News shared more on the story, noting that Trump and his legal team expect Carroll’s allegations were fueled by her desire to sell her book.
Trump and his legal team insist that Carroll’s allegations are fabricated, with the former president’s initial reaction including an accusation that Carroll was motivated by wanting to sell copies of her book.
That denial resulted in Carroll slapping Trump with a defamation claim, claiming that his response caused harm to her reputation.
"We'll obviously be appealing those other findings, but they rejected her rape claim and she always claimed this was a rape case."
Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina responds to the verdict in the Trump-E. Jean Carroll civil trial.
MORE: https://t.co/eDs3VYogy2 pic.twitter.com/VKFNSLwrFL
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) May 9, 2023
The critics and supporters took to Twitter when the news broke – some claiming victory and labeling Trump as a convicted sex offender.
https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1656018047646461952?s=20
But the truth is that jurors didn’t find him guilty of rape.
CNBC reported,
Jurors notably did not find Trump liable for rape, as the 79-year-old Carroll had alleged in a lawsuit filed last year.
But their verdict that he sexually abused and forcibly touched her without her consent substantiated her civil claim of battery. Trial in the case had begun on April 25.
Carroll, 79, claimed in her lawsuit that Trump raped her in a dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s.
Trump cannot be prosecuted for the alleged rape because the statute of limitations for such a crime has long since passed.
The incident in question took place in the mid-90s, which does make one wonder why you would wait twenty years or more to report such a hideous crime.
CNBC offered an explanation:
Carroll sued him with a civil claim of battery under a New York state law enacted in late 2022 that opened a one-year window for lawsuits alleging sexual assaults which otherwise would be barred by the statute of limitations.
How convenient!
The timing couldn’t possibly be coincidental, could it?
As anti-Trumpers flooded Twitter with celebratory posts, others sided with Trump and posted that this was all a witch hunt and money grab.
Trump did nothing wrong! This is an attempt to hurt his 2024 campaign!
Donald Trump found “liable” of sexual abuse, “not liable” of rape in the E. Jean Carroll civil case
THIS WAS BS CASE! I stand with Trump and I’m still voting for him in 2024
Who’s with me ✋
— Terrence K. Williams (@w_terrence) May 9, 2023
Donald Trump was just found found “liable” of sexual abuse, “not liable” of rape in the E. Jean Carroll civil case!!!
The same lady who said “rape is sexy” on CNN!!!
THIS WAS A WITCH HUNT! pic.twitter.com/wIZ2exmTeg
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) May 9, 2023
You can read the full verdict below.
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