Since the alleged assault, E Jean Carroll testified at her New York civil rape and defamation trial that she has been unable to have a romantic life.
A former columnist who is suing Donald Trump over an alleged rape that occurred nearly 30 years ago testified that she filed the lawsuit “to get my life back.”
In 1996, Ms. Carroll alleges that Mr. Trump harassed her in a Manhattan department store.
He has repeatedly refuted her allegations as “fiction”
“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me, and when I wrote about it, he lied and said it didn’t happen,” Ms. Carroll told a federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday. “He lied about me and shattered my reputation, and I’m here to try to get my life back.”
Ms. Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, testified that the encounter with Mr. Trump began with flirtatious banter after he asked her to help him purchase a gift for a friend at Bergdorf Goodman.
She reported that the conversation rapidly shifted when Mr. Trump asked her to try on lingerie and followed her into the dressing room.
Once inside, he allegedly shut the door, held her against the wall, and sexually assaulted her.
She told the court,
“I can still feel it as I sit here today.”
E Jean Carroll attempted to dissuade Mr. Trump, stating that it was obvious she did not want this to occur. She said the “extremely painful” encounter was over within minutes, and she fled the department store immediately.
Ms. Caroll stated on Wednesday that in the years following her decision to enter the dressing room, she has felt regretful.
Carroll reported that she told two friends about the assault, who gave her contradictory advice regarding whether she should go public with her story.
Ms. Carroll’s attorney appeared to anticipate potential inquiries from Mr. Trump’s team, such as whether she was motivated to sue the former president for political reasons. Ms. Carroll, who has only voted for Democrats, stated that she was not.
Mr. Trump, who is running for president in 2024, has denied her allegations on multiple occasions.
Wednesday, in a series of posts on his social media website, he referred to the account as a “fraudulent and false story” and questioned its veracity.
“Did she not scream? What about witnesses? Did nobody observe this? He composed.
Before witnesses took the stand, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan was informed of Mr. Trump’s position.
The judge reprimanded Mr. Trump’s legal team for their client’s conduct, describing the post as “a public statement that, at first glance, appears to be entirely inappropriate.”
Joe Tacopina, Mr. Trump’s attorney, told the judge that he would ask his client to “refrain from further posts on this case.”
It was unclear as of Wednesday whether the former president would appear in court for the two-week trial.
Ms. Carroll, 79, will presumably be cross-examined when she returns to the stand on Thursday. She seeks unspecified damages from the 76-year-old Trump.
New York passed the Adult Survivors Act in 2022, allowing victims of sexual assault to file litigation in the state for claims that would have otherwise exceeded the statute of limitations by one year.
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