Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded guilty to sexual assault and defamation. This is what the jury found in a civil trial. Trump must therefore pay about 5 million dollars (4.6 million euros) in compensation to the victim. The verdict, he said, is “a shame”. “I have absolutely no idea who this woman is,” he writes in all caps on the social network Truth. His team says she’ll appeal.
Writer E. Jean Carroll, 79, says Trump raped her in the dressing room of a New York City department store in the mid-1990s. She then allegedly damaged her reputation by claiming that she had made the story up. The jury doesn’t consider the rape proven, but the sexual abuse and defamation are. He also pleaded guilty to assault.
Since the ruling is the result of a civil case, not a criminal one, the only legal penalty Trump will face is a financial one. A nine-member jury in Manhattan federal court ruled that the former president must pay about $5 million in damages.
Lies, hoaxes, witch hunts
Trump had called Carroll a “con man” and called his allegations “lies” and a “hoax”. Trump has to pay Carroll more than 2 million for (sexual) assault and about 3 million for defamation. Since this is not a criminal case but a civil case, it is not, for example, a prison sentence. Trump himself speaks of ‘a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time’.
Bigger legal problems
There are several lawsuits against Trump, including a criminal case involving his $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels. There is also an investigation into his role in the storming of the Capitol in Washington. Trump supporters attacked the House of Representatives in January 2021, not long after he lost the presidential election.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
