Writer Jean Carroll Testifies Trump Raped Her
Writer E. Jean Carroll (C) arrives as jury selection is set to begin in the defamation case against former US President Donald Trump brought by Carroll, who accused him of raping her in the 1990s, at the Manhattan Federal Court, New York, April 25, 2023. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
A writer testified in a US civil trial on Wednesday that she had been left feeling “ashamed” as she failed to have meaningful connections because of an alleged sexual assault by Donald Trump thirty years prior.
E. Jean Carroll stated in federal court in Manhattan, where a case involving defamation and violence against the past president is being heard, “I’m here because Donald Trump raped me.”
The 76-year-old Republican is up against a number of legal issues as he pursues a run for the White House. The case is only one of them.
Carroll, 79, has filed a lawsuit against Trump, claiming that in the middle of the 1990s, he sexually attacked her in a changing room at the upscale Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan.
When she made the charges public years later, she also asserts that Trump subsequently defamed her. Trump has vehemently refuted the accusations and is not facing any legal action.
In her testimony before the jury, the former Elle magazine editor detailed how a fortuitous encounter with Trump in the Manhattan store soon descended into violence.
She claimed that after jokingly soliciting her opinion on where to find a woman’s lingerie gift, Trump “pushed” her up against the changing room wall.
“His entire weight was on top of my chest. My tights were lowered by him. On the testimony stand, Carroll told the jury, “I was pushing him back.
She made the claim for the first time in a 2019 New York Magazine excerpt from her book.
When asked why it took her more than 20 years to make her accusations public, she said, “I was scared of Donald Trump. I was humiliated. I believed I was to blame.
After a New York legislation went into effect that allows victims of sexual assault a year to bring a lawsuit against their claimed perpetrators decades after attacks may have occurred, Carroll filed the lawsuit late last year.
Distress and suffering
The lawsuit charges Trump with violence for “forcibly raping and groping” Carroll, as well as defamation for calling Carroll a “complete con job” in a post he published on his Truth Social platform in October.
“He lied, ruining my reputation. I’m here to regain control of my life, Carroll told the judge.
She continued, “I know people have been through a lot worse, but it prevented me from ever having a romantic life again.
For “significant pain and suffering, long-lasting psychological and financial harms, loss of dignity and self-esteem, and invasion of her privacy,” the lawsuit asks for specific damages. Trump is also urged to take back his remarks.
Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by about a dozen women. He has refuted each and every accusation, and none of them has ever led to legal action.
Carroll’s civil action cannot lead to a criminal investigation, but if Trump loses, it will be the first time he has ever been held legally responsible for a claim of sexual assault.
Trump has supplied sworn testimony in the matter, but he is not anticipated to testify. One to two weeks are probably required for the experiment.
It is one of many legal issues that Trump is dealing with.
In relation to 34 counts stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star soon before the 2016 election, he entered a not guilty plea earlier this month.
Trump is also being investigated for his attempts to reverse his loss in the state of Georgia in the 2020 election, his alleged handling of confidential information taken from the White House, and his participation in the January 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol by his followers.
