Events leading up to Donald Trump sexual abuse verdict
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A jury decided on Tuesday that former US president Donald Trump must pay $6.6 million in damages to writer E. Jean Carroll.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW YORK - Former US president Donald Trump must pay $5 million (S$6.6 million) in damages for sexually abusing magazine writer E. Jean Carroll
Trump was absent throughout the trial
He faces no criminal consequences and, as such, there was never a threat of prison.
Here is a timeline of Ms Carroll’s lawsuit that culminated in Tuesday’s decision:
June 2019
Ms E. Jean Carroll publishes an excerpt from her memoir, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal, that includes the accusation Trump raped her in a New York department store dressing room
In the same month, the then President denies Ms Carroll’s accusations, telling a reporter at the White House with reference to Ms Carroll: “I’ll say it with great respect: Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, okay?“
November 2019
Ms Carroll sues Trump for defamation
September 2020
The United States Department of Justice moves the case to federal court, saying that Trump spoke about Ms Carroll in his official capacity as president, and the government should be substituted for Trump as the defendant.
October 2020
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan refuses to substitute the government as a defendant, saying that Trump was not a government employee and his statements were not made within the scope of his job as president.
2021-September 2022
Ms Carroll’s lawsuit is largely on hold while Trump appeals Judge Kaplan’s decision. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan hears the appeal in December 2021.
Sept 20, 2022
Ms Carroll says she plans to sue Trump a second time for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress,
Sept 27, 2022
The 2nd Circuit agrees with Trump that he was a government employee when he first spoke about Ms Carroll, but says it is unsure whether, under the local laws of Washington, DC, Trump had spoken in his capacity as president. It asks the District of Columbia Court of Appeals for guidance. That court schedules oral arguments for Jan 10, 2023.
Oct 12, 2022
Trump repeats his denials of Ms Carroll’s claims. On his Truth Social website, he calls the “Ms Bergdorf Goodman case” a “complete con job”, a “hoax”, a “lie” and a “complete scam”, and says he had not known Ms Carroll and that she was “not my type!”
Oct 19, 2022
Trump is deposed in Ms Carroll’s first lawsuit. He denies Ms Carroll’s claims and calls her mentally ill.
Nov 24, 2022
Ms Carroll files her second lawsuit,
Feb 15, 2023
Judge Kaplan rejects Trump’s offer to provide a DNA sample
March 10, 2023
Judge Kaplan rejects Trump’s effort to exclude from trial a 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape of him making graphic, vulgar comments about women, and testimony from two other women who allege he sexually assaulted them.
March 23, 2023
Judge Kaplan says jurors will be kept anonymous at the trial, citing the threat that Trump supporters and others may harass them.
March 28, 2023
Judge Kaplan rejects Trump’s request to throw out the defamation claim in Ms Carroll’s second lawsuit. Trump had argued that he had been merely commenting about Ms Carroll’s first lawsuit, making his comments protected speech.
April 13, 2023
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals declines to decide whether Trump acted as president when discussing Ms Carroll in June 2019, saying it did not have enough facts. It provides the 2nd Circuit appeals court with guidance on the applicable law.
April 17, 2023
Judge Kaplan rejects Trump’s bid to delay the April 25 trial, saying the alleged “prejudicial media coverage” was largely provoked by the former president.
April 20, 2023
Judge Kaplan says Trump need not attend the trial but rejects his effort to have jurors view his absence in a positive light by instructing them that it was meant to avoid logistical burdens. Trump had cited traffic and security concerns.
April 25, 2023
Trial gets under way.
May 9, 2023
Jurors deliberate for just under three hours before deciding Trump sexually abused and defamed Ms Carroll and awarding her US$5 million in damages. Trump, campaigning to retake the White House in 2024, will appeal, says spokesman Steven Cheung. REUTERS
