Donald Trump to pay millions after being found liable in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit
New York, New York - The jury for E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit against Donald Trump reached a verdict, and it's not good news for the former president.
According to The Guardian, the jury, consisting of three women and six men, decided that Trump was liable for raping and defaming Carroll, and he was ordered to pay more than $5 million in damages.
After only three hours of deliberations following closing arguments, the jury ruled he would pay $2 million for the sexual battery claim along with $20,000 in punitive damages, and $2.7 million for defamation along with $280,000 in punitive damages.
Carroll's lawsuit alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her inside a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room roughly 25 years ago and defamed her when she accused the former president of raping her years later.
Trump, who decided not to make an appearance at the eight-day trial, quickly reacted to the news on Truth Social, stating, "I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!"
Trump spent much of Tuesday morning ranting about the trial, falsely claiming that he was "not allowed to speak or defend myself."
Cover photo: Collage: SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & IMAGO / Kyodo News