It took just three hours for the nine federal jurors to reach a verdict in the civil suit filed against former President Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll on Tuesday.
The woman who won a $5 million verdict against Donald Trump on Tuesday when a jury found that the former president was liable for sexual abuse and defamation says her win is a victory for women everywhere.
"I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth," E. Jean Carroll said in a statement released just hours after the verdict. "This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed."
She also discussed her victory in an appearance in "CNN This Morning" on Wednesday, speaking with host Poppy Harlow about her momentous win and what it means for both women and the #MeToo movement.
"The old view of the perfect victim was a woman who always screamed. A woman who immediately reported a woman whose life was supposed to fold up and she's never supposed to experience happiness again," said Carroll. "That was just shut down with this verdict, the death of the perfect victim has happened. Now this verdict is for all women.
It took just three hours for the nine federal jurors to reach a verdict Tuesday in the civil suit filed against Trump, 76, by Carroll.
The jury also awarded Carroll $5 million in damages: $2 million for the battery and another $3 million for defamation following a statement the former president released after Carroll first went public with her allegations.
This is a civil suit, which means that Trump has not been convicted of a crime. The jury also declined to find Trump liable for raping Carroll.
Trump had faced multiple accusations and even a few lawsuits in the wake of the #MeToo movement, but Carroll is the first to wage a successful campaign against the real estate scion. Her victory is likely to invigorate the movement, some said.
Trump did not appear in court to hear the verdict. He also did not attend a single day of his trial.
"I have absolutely no idea who this woman is," Trump wrote in all capital letters after the decision. "This verdict is a disgrace - a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!"
The Trump campaign also released a statement on Tuesday.
“In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nation’s justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics," read the statement. "We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing great damage."
The campaign statement went on to say: "This case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win.”
