**Top 5 Things You Need to Know About E. Jean Carroll’s Legal Victory**
- **The Jury Unanimously Agreed on Sexual Abuse:** In May 2023, a New York jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s. This was a civil case, not criminal, meaning the burden of proof was lower, but the verdict is legally binding and historic, marking the first time a former U.S. president was found liable for sexual assault.
- **A Hefty $88.3 Million Combined Award:** Carroll was awarded $5 million in the first trial (2023) for the assault and defamation. Then, in January 2024, a second jury ordered Trump to pay an additional **$83.3 million** for defaming her on social media and in a CNN town hall while he was president and again as a candidate. The total payout now stands at over $88 million.
- **Trump Was “Default Liable” in the Second Trial:** Before the second trial, a judge had already ruled that Trump’s statements—where he denied the attack and called Carroll’s claims a “conspiracy”—were defamatory. This meant the second jury only had to decide on damages, not liability, making the massive $83.3 million penalty particularly damning.
- **The Case Was Not About “She Said, He Said”: Carroll’s legal team presented shocking evidence, including the infamous **“Access Hollywood” tape** where Trump bragged about grabbing women, and testimony from two other women (Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff) who alleged similar assaults by Trump. This pattern of behavior was key to convincing the jury.
- **Trump Still Vows to Appeal—But the Clock is Ticking:** Trump has called the verdict “a disgrace” and is expected to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court. However, he must first post a