E. Jean Carroll Sexual Assault and Decades of Sexual Misconduct Allegations
E. Jean Carroll first publicly accused Trump of rape in 2019; the legal case was delayed by Trump's claims of immunity as president. In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse (not rape under New York's technical definition) and defamation. In January 2024, a second jury awarded $83.3 million in damages for Trump's continuing defamatory statements. Trump called Carroll's account 'a made up Fake story' and said she was 'not my type.'
Record summary
Grade
Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern
Systematic actions that undermine fundamental constitutional or international legal protections at the structural level. Scale and definitions
- Status
- Concluded
- Incident date
- Record updated
- Location
- New York, NY
- Category
- Civil Rights
- Legal posture
- Judicial finding
- War-crime classification
- Potential
- Verification
- Independently verified
- ICC relevance
- No
- Sources
- 5 cited
- Stable ID
e-jean-carroll-sexual-assault- Victims
- E. Jean Carroll; over 25 additional women who have publicly alleged sexual misconduct by Trump
- Alleged responsible parties
- Donald Trump, Real estate developer (at time of assault); later President of the United States— Trump Organization / White House
Key points
- A federal jury in May 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s; the jury found Trump was 'not liable' for rape under New York's narrow technical definition, but found that his conduct constituted 'sexual abuse' as defined
- A second jury in January 2024 awarded Carroll $83.3 million in additional damages for Trump's continuing defamatory statements — one of the largest defamation verdicts in U.S. history
- Carroll published her account in 2019; Trump responded by publicly calling her a liar, saying she was 'not my type,' and claiming he had never met her — contradicted by a photograph showing them together
- The case was significantly delayed by Trump's claims of immunity as president; the Department of Justice under AG Barr controversially attempted to substitute the United States as defendant (arguing Trump's denial was made in the scope of his official duties)
- Carroll is one of more than 25 women who have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct, ranging from unwanted touching to rape, spanning from the 1970s through the 2000s
- The 2005 Access Hollywood tape recorded Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women: 'When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy.'
Overview
E. Jean Carroll, a well-known advice columnist for Elle magazine, encountered Donald Trump at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. According to her account — later confirmed by a federal jury — he led her to a dressing room, pinned her against a wall, and sexually assaulted her. She told two friends about the assault at the time; both corroborated her account in court.
Carroll did not publicly share her account until 2019, when she published it in New York Magazine as part of a broader essay about sexual violence. She has said she feared she would not be believed and that the experience was too painful to discuss while Trump was a private figure; once he was president, she felt an obligation to speak.
Trump's Response and Defamation
Trump's immediate response to Carroll's published account was to deny it, state that she was "not my type," and claim he had never met her — a claim that was immediately contradicted by a photograph showing the two together at a social event in the late 1980s or early 1990s, accompanied by their then-spouses.
Trump continued to publicly call Carroll a liar for years. After a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation in May 2023 — and awarded Carroll $5 million — he called the verdict "a disgrace" and continued his false denials publicly. A second jury in January 2024 found his post-verdict statements to be additional defamation and awarded Carroll $83.3 million more — one of the largest defamation verdicts in American history.
The Pattern
Carroll is not alone. The Washington Post, NBC News, and other outlets have documented accounts from more than 25 women accusing Trump of unwanted sexual touching or assault spanning from the 1970s through the 2000s. Trump denied all accounts. The Access Hollywood tape — on which Trump bragged about committing exactly the acts the women described — was dismissed by Trump as "locker room banter."
The pattern documented across the accounts — entering dressing rooms uninvited, kissing women without consent, groping — is strikingly consistent across accusers who did not know each other and came forward at different times.
International law engaged
| Instrument | Provision | What it protects or prohibits |
|---|---|---|
| Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women | Article 2 | States must ensure practical realization of the principle of equality of men and women — including accountability for sexual violence by public figures |
| International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights | Article 7 | Prohibition on cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment — sexual assault constitutes such treatment |
Update log
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Updated with $83.3 million defamation verdict.
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Updated with sexual abuse liability verdict.
Sequence of events
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Sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll
E. Jean Carroll, then a well-known advice columnist, encounters Trump at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. According to her account, confirmed by a jury in 2023, he pins her against the wall in a dressing room and sexually assaults her.
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Access Hollywood tape recorded
Trump is recorded bragging to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush: 'I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy.'
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Access Hollywood tape published
The Washington Post publishes the Access Hollywood tape. Trump calls his statements 'locker room banter.' Over a dozen women come forward in the following days with accounts of unwanted touching or assault by Trump.
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Carroll publishes her account
E. Jean Carroll publishes her account of the Bergdorf Goodman assault in New York Magazine. Trump denies it, calls her a liar, says she is 'not my type,' and claims he has never met her — a claim contradicted by a photograph showing them together at a social event.
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Carroll sues for defamation
Carroll files a defamation suit over Trump's public denials. The case is repeatedly delayed as Trump's attorneys argue he is immune from civil suit as a sitting president.
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PREP Act immunity argument fails
The DOJ under Biden abandons a controversial position taken under AG Barr that Trump's denial was made in the scope of his official duties as president, which would have substituted the U.S. government as defendant and provided immunity.
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Jury finds Trump liable — awards $5 million
A federal jury in New York finds Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. The jury finds Trump committed sexual abuse but not rape under New York's technical legal definition, which requires penetration.
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Second jury awards $83.3 million for ongoing defamation
A second jury awards Carroll $83.3 million in damages for Trump's continuing defamatory statements about her made after the first verdict — calling her allegations 'a complete con job' and a 'made up Fake story' at a CNN town hall and on social media.
Sources
- Jury Finds Trump Liable for Sexual Abuse and Defamation in E. Jean Carroll Case — The New York Times
- Jury orders Trump to pay $83.3 million in E. Jean Carroll defamation case — The Associated Press
- The 26 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct — The Washington Post
- E. Jean Carroll: Trump found liable for sexual abuse and defamation — BBC News
- Carroll v. Trump — Verdict — U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York