There are decades-old allegations – which could now also have an impact on the US presidential election in 2024: A woman accuses Trump of rape. She gets right – but not completely.
Former US President Donald Trump has to pay millions in compensation for sexual assault. That was decided by a jury on Tuesday in New York, as a dpa reporter reported in the courtroom. The allegation of rape was dismissed. The jury also found it established that Trump slandered writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump has to pay a total of five million US dollars (around 4.56 million euros) in compensation and fines. The jury – consisting of six men and three women – reached its verdict after less than three hours of deliberation.
In civil trials, there is a lower threshold for a guilty verdict than in criminal trials: in civil law, such a threshold means that the jurors consider an act to be more likely than unlikely. In criminal proceedings, on the other hand, guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Trump railed against verdict
Trump has sharply criticized a New York grand jury’s decision against him. “This verdict is a disgrace,” Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social, a platform he co-founded. It is a sequel to the “greatest witch hunt of all time,” wrote the current presidential candidate. “I have absolutely no idea who this woman is,” he said, referring to plaintiff E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her in a New York upscale department store in the mid-1990s. Trump had denied the allegations from the start.
Trump wants to be president again
Trump wants to become US President again in 2024 and is applying for the Republican nomination – he describes legal action against him in a number of cases as politically motivated.
In the current case, US author Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a New York luxury department store in the mid-1990s. The real estate entrepreneur, who was not yet active as a politician at the time, had always rejected the accusation. The criminal allegations are statute-barred, but under civil law the 79-year-old Carroll was free to take legal action.
Carroll’s defense had tried to substantiate their allegations with several witnesses. Two women reported that the author called them shortly after the incident and told them about the crime. Two other women told the jury that Trump put them in similar situations and abused them.
Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, said the allegations were “unimaginable” and “unbelievable.” Trump was already prominent as a real estate entrepreneur at this point, so such an act would not have gone unnoticed.
Carroll’s attorney welcomed the outcome of the civil case. “We are very satisfied,” said Roberta Kaplan as she left the New York courthouse alongside her client. Caroll herself did not comment outside the courthouse.
Trump was not present in person
Trump himself did not testify at the trial and was not personally present at the trial. His lawyer justified this by saying that the former president wanted to save New Yorkers the great logistical effort that would be associated with a trip to the east coast metropolis and the central district of Manhattan.
Carroll made the allegation of rape public in a book excerpt in 2019. At the time, Trump responded, among other things, by remarking that Carroll was not his type. He also accused the former columnist for Elle magazine of just wanting to boost sales of her book. The writer then sued Trump – initially for defamation because he had portrayed her as a liar. A new New York law recently made it possible to add the charge of physical harm caused by the rape.
Various women accuse Trump of sexual harassment
Various women have accused Trump of sexual harassment in the past, which he has always denied. During his 2016 presidential election campaign, an old audio recording was also made public in which Trump made lewd and derogatory statements about women – and about the fact that as a star you could also touch women on their genitals if you wanted to.
This recording from 2005 also played a role in the arguments of Carroll’s lawyers. It was not – as Trump portrayed – talk among men, but a confession about the way he behaved. He did the same with Carroll.
The mood in the USA is heated
The mood in the US is heated in view of the legal prosecution of Trump. The 76-year-old is being investigated for a number of possible crimes. He himself describes the law enforcement authorities’ actions against him as a “witch hunt” intended to prevent his candidacy in 2024. Most recently, his polls in internal party polls had risen – Trump is well ahead of other possible Republican candidates.
A few weeks ago, Trump was criminally charged in another case in New York. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused him of trying to increase his chances in the 2016 presidential election by paying hush money to two women, thereby violating election laws. There are further investigations against him – for example because of his role in the storming of the US Capitol a few weeks before his democratic successor Joe Biden was sworn in as president.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
