Writer E. Jean Carroll said the verdict that found former President Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her is a win for every woman who “suffered because she was not believed.”
“I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. 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,” she said in a statement.
A nine-member jury did not find that Trump had raped Carroll but found him liable for sexual battery and defamation Tuesday after an almost two-week trial. The jury ordered Trump to pay about $5 million in damages overall.
Carroll said Trump raped her in 1996 in New York City in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and claimed that he did not know Carroll.
She first went public with her story in 2019 and sued Trump in November under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which opened a one-year window for those who experienced sexual assault and harassment to sue their alleged perpetrator in civil court for damages.
Carroll also filed the suit against Trump for comments he made calling her a liar for her accusation and criticizing her physical appearance.
Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, said in a statement that the ruling shows that “no one,” including a former president, is above the law.
“For far too long, survivors of sexual assault faced a wall of doubt and intimidation. We hope and believe today’s verdict will be an important step in tearing that wall down. E. Jean Carroll has never wavered in her strength, courage, and determination to seek justice,” she said.
“This is a victory not only for E. Jean Carroll, but for democracy itself, and for all survivors everywhere,” Kaplan continued.
Trump vowed to appeal the case ahead of the ruling over his claims that the case included “unconstitutional silencing” of him. He also reiterated that he did not know Carroll in a post on Truth Social after the jury’s ruling was released.
“I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!” he said.