Analyser: Trumps dom lär användas av Demokraterna

In mid-2019, author E. Jean Carroll accused then-U.S.-president Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in 1995 or 1996. Trump denied the allegations. In November 2019, Carroll sued Trump in New York Supreme Court for defamation. In September 2020, U.S. Justice Department lawyers asserted that Trump had acted in his official capacity while responding to Carroll's accusation; in 2023, the D.C. Court of Appeals declined to rule whether this was so, remanding the case U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan (who is also overseeing the trial for Carroll's second lawsuit against Trump). In November 2022, Carroll filed a second suit against Trump, renewing her claim of defamation due to more recent statements by him and expanding her claim to battery under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law allowing sexual-assault victims to file civil suits beyond expired statutes of limitations. On April 25, 2023, the trial for this suit began at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Evidence presented included testimony from Carroll's friends Lisa Birnbach and Carol Martin (who both said Carroll told them about the alleged incident shortly afterwards), a photograph of Carroll with Trump in 1987, testimony from Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds (who both previously accused Trump of sexual assault), and footage from both the Trump Access Hollywood tape and his October 2022 deposition.On May 9, after deliberating for less than three hours, a jury of six men and three women in Manhattan federal court found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her by calling her a liar, rejecting his denial of the allegations. Though they also did not find Trump liable for rape. The Jury awarded Carroll about $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages.