A jury has rejected writer E. Jean Carroll's claim that Donald Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s—but the verdict is not a big win for the former president. The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and for defamation and awarded $5 million in damages, reports the AP. The jury in Carroll's civil lawsuit against Trump reached a verdict Tuesday after less than three hours of deliberations. The nine-person jury in a Manhattan federal court began their deliberations just before noon, NBC reports. Before 3pm, the court announced that the six men and three women had reached a unanimous verdict.
The findings are civil, meaning Trump has not been convicted of a crime and will not face prison time, the New York Times reports. Trump was not present at the trial. A deadline for his team to file a request to testify passed Sunday without anything being filed. In a post on his Truth Social network before the verdict Tuesday, Trump claimed he had not been allowed to defend himself. "I will therefore not speak until after the trial, but will appeal the Unconstitutional silencing of me, as a candidate, no matter the outcome," he wrote. Just minutes after the verdict was read, he posted this: "I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE - A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!"
A lawyer for Trump told NPR the former president will appeal the decision. Carroll did not speak with reporters as she exited the courthouse but was seen smiling. (More E. Jean Carroll stories.)
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