E. Jean Carroll, the writer who accused Donald Trump of raping her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s, said she feels "fantastic" after a jury voted to hold the former president liable for sexual assault and defamation in her lawsuit against him.
"Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life," Carroll told Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos in a Wednesday interview. On Tuesday, a New York City jury ruled that while Trump did not rape Carroll, he sexually abused and also defamed her when he denied her claims. She was awarded $5 million in damages.
Originally, Carroll told Stephanopoulos she had planned to simply come forward with her story and "thought that was enough." But then Trump "said terrible things about me. Dragged me through the mud. Ground my face in the dirt. It was horrible." So she talked to a lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, and together, the two brought a lawsuit against him. "It was this 5-foot-3, wily, female attorney and this elderly, 79-year-old advice columnist who are finally holding Donald Trump liable," she continued.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Carroll added that she was "shaken" throughout the trial, during which Trump declined to testify, "but I felt strong because I knew I was telling the truth and I just stuck to it."
Shortly after it was announced, the former president decried the ruling in a post on Truth Social: "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. This verdict is a disgrace — a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!" The jury's decision marks "the first time a former president has been found civilly liable for sexual misconduct," per NBC News.
-
Gavin Newsom's Trump-style trolling roils critics while thrilling fansTALKING POINTS The California governor has turned his X account into a cutting parody of Trump's digital cadence, angering Fox News conservatives
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records requestSpeed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by TrumpSpeed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank planSpeed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutionalSpeed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for riflesSpeed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Judges: Threatened for ruling against TrumpFeature Threats against federal judges across the U.S. have surged since Donald Trump took office
-
The census: Why Trump wants a new oneFeature Donald Trump is pushing for a 'Trumpified census' that excludes undocumented immigrants
