A federal jury in Manhattan has convicted the former president of the United States donald trump of sexually abusing the writer Elizabeth Jean Carroll in 1996 and years later defaming her when she denounced the assault.

Furthermore, the judge lewis kaplan has awarded Carroll a compensation of 5 million dollars –more than 4.5 million euros– for assault and defamation, as reported by the US television channel CNN.

Carroll declared at the end of April before the US Justice that she had been raped in the mid-1990s by former President Trump, who at that time he had not started his political career and was known as one of the great magnates of the country.

For his part, former President Trump refused to testify in the trial after his lawyer failed to inform the court of any change in strategy before the deadline set for last Sunday. Carroll participates in the trial as a witness, while the former president has preferred to be absent from the entire process.

After the verdict, Kaplan has dissolved the jury, which will now be able to reveal their identity, although they have been advised to remain silent and anonymous. “My advice to you is not to identify yourself.“, has said.

Carroll has sued Trump for rape and defamation over the sexual assault that she says occurred in changing rooms at Bergdorf Goodman –an upscale New York department store– in the mid-1990s. Trump denied such facts, accusing her of making it up to sell a book and destroy him politically.

The case dates back to 2019, after Carroll sued him for defamation after calling her “crazy” and attack his physical appearance to deny it. However, in November 2022 a new law came into force in the state of New York that enabled the possibility that she could report him for sexual assault by being considered a survivor of this type of assault despite having prescribed.

This trial comes amid renewed attempts by Trump to return to the White House as he faces other legal proceedings, including his recent indictment for concealing a series of bribes paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for silencing an alleged sexual dalliance.