E. Jean Carroll feels 'fantastic' after Trump verdict: 'The happiest day of my life'


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.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killing
TALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keep showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge
Speed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race