**DATELINE: NEW YORK —** A New York jury has returned a verdict in the civil defamation and sexual abuse case brought by author E. Jean Carroll against former President Donald J. Trump. The jury found Mr. Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Ms. Carroll a total of $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The verdict, delivered in federal court in Manhattan, followed a two-week trial. The jury determined, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Mr. Trump did not commit rape, but did engage in sexual abuse of Ms. Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Additionally, the panel found Mr. Trump liable for defamation based on statements he made in 2022 denying the incident and calling Ms. Carroll's account a "hoax." The former president has denied the allegations and stated his intention to appeal the decision. Legal analysts note this is the first time a former U.S. president has been found civilly liable for sexual misconduct.