Jury finds Donald Trump sexually abused columnist E Jean Carroll

來(lái)源：https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/09/e-jean-carroll-wins-trump-trial-verdict

公眾號(hào)文章??：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/kvrTWXd0JO5eAhwIQrXYdA

Written by Chris McGreal and Martin Pengelly

Tue 9 May 2023 21.10 BST

A New York?jury?found on Tuesday that Donald Trump sexually abused the?advice columnist?E Jean Carroll in a New York department store?changing room?27 years ago.

jury n. 陪審團(tuán)

advice columnist 咨詢專欄作家?

changing room?更衣室

The?verdict?for the first time legally brands a former US president as a?sexual predator. But as it is the result of a?civil?not?criminal case, the only legal sanction Trump will face is financial.

verdict n.（法庭的）裁定，判決

sexual predator 性侵犯者

civil case?民事案件

criminal case?刑事案件

In explaining a finding of?sexual abuse?to the jury, the judge said it had two elements: that Trump?subjected?Carroll?to?sexual contact without?consent?by use of force, and that it was for the purpose of sexual gratification.

sexual abuse?性虐待

subject ... to ... 使經(jīng)受；使遭受

consent n.?同意，許可

The jury deliberated for less than three hours. It did not find Trump raped Carroll, but did find him?liable for?sexual abuse.

liable for 負(fù)法律責(zé)任的

It?awarded?about $5m in compensatory and punitive?damages: about $2m on the sexual abuse?count?and close to $3m for?defamation, for branding her a liar.

award v.?判給

damages n.pl. 賠償金?

count? n.?（被指控的）罪狀，事項(xiàng)

defamation n.?誹謗

Before the verdict in the?highly charged?case, the judge, Lewis A Kaplan, warned the courtroom: “No shouting. No jumping up and down. No race for the door.”

highly charged 高度緊張的

After the verdict, as she was?escorted?to a car, Carroll said: “We’re very happy.”

escort v. 護(hù)送

George Conway, a conservative lawyer and Trump critic who encouraged Carroll to?sue, said on Twitter: “God bless E Jean Carroll and congratulations to Roberta Kaplan [Carroll’s attorney] and her team for a job well done.”

sue v.?提起訴訟

Trump used his?Truth Social?platform to say: “I have absolutely no idea who this woman is. The verdict is a?disgrace?– a continuation of the greatest?witch hunt?of all time.”

Truth Social?真實(shí)社交，是第45任美國(guó)總統(tǒng)唐納德·特朗普自創(chuàng)社交媒體平臺(tái)

disgrace n.??令人感到羞恥的人或事

witch hunt?獵巫，政治迫害

In his?deposition, released to the public last week, Trump?mistook?a picture of Carroll in his company?for?a picture of his second wife, Marla Maples.

deposition?/?dep??z??n/ n.?證詞

mistake sb/sth for sb/sth?把…錯(cuò)當(dāng)成

On Tuesday, lawyers for Trump issued a statement?deriding?the case as “bogus” and saying they would?appeal?“and … ultimately win”.

deride v.?嘲笑 deride?sb/sth (as sth)?

bogus a. 假的；偽造的

appeal v. 上訴；申訴

Politically, Trump has?capitalised on?his legal?woes, leading by?wide margins?in polling regarding the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Nonetheless, he faces?mounting?legal danger.

capitalise on?利用

woes n.pl. 麻煩，問(wèn)題，困難

wide margins 較大優(yōu)勢(shì)

mounting a.?上升的，增長(zhǎng)的

In New York last month, Trump?pleaded not guilty?to 34?criminal charges?of falsifying business records over a?hush-money?payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.

plead not guilty 不服罪，不認(rèn)罪

criminal charge?刑事控告

hush-money 封口費(fèi)

Trump looks likely to face criminal charges over attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, and is also the target of a federal investigation into his actions around the election, including his?incitement?of the US?Capitol?attack.

incitement n.?煽動(dòng)

the Capitol?美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)大廈

A federal special counsel is also investigating the?stashing?of secret documents at his Florida estate. In New York, Trump faces a?civil suit?over his business and tax affairs.

stash v.?藏 (某物)

civil suit?民事訴訟

In the Carroll case, a jury of three women and six men was persuaded by Carroll’s?testimony?over three days, describing events in a New York department store changing room in 1996.

testimony n. 證詞；口供

Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said he would use Carroll’s own words to?disprove?her allegation, showing the former Elle magazine columnist?conspired?with friends to falsely accuse the former president because they “hated” Trump and his politics.

disprove v.?證明 (想法、信念或理論) 為誤

conspire v. 密謀，共謀

But in seven days of testimony, he failed to do either.

Carroll testified that the attack left her unable to have a romantic relationship. She said Trump “shattered?my reputation” by denying the attack when she went public?in 2019, after which Elle sacked her in months. Trump repeatedly called Carroll a liar, including after her first day of testimony when he claimed a “made up SCAM”.

shatter v.?粉碎

go public 公開(kāi)宣布；把秘密公開(kāi)

Carroll told the trial she ran into Trump as she was leaving the Bergdorf Goodman department store one evening in spring 1996.

“He said, ‘I need to buy a gift, come help me,’” she said. “I was delighted.”

Carroll said she suggested a handbag or a hat but he wasn’t interested.

“He said, ‘I know,?lingerie,’” she said. “He led the way to the escalator.”

lingerie n.??女內(nèi)衣

Carroll described herself as “absolutely enchanted” and “delighted” to go to the lingerie department. She told the court Trump “snatched up” a?bodysuit?and told her to?try?it?on.

snatch up?抓起

bodysuit? n.?女用緊身衣

try on?試穿

“I had no intention of putting it on. I said, ‘You put it on, it’s your colour’,” she said.

Carroll said Trump suggested they both try it on, and motioned toward the dressing room. She said she thought it was all a joke. The mood changed rapidly.

“He immediately shut the door and shoved me up against the wall. He shoved me so hard my head banged. I was extremely confused,” she said.

Carroll said the situation “turned absolutely dark”.

“He leaned down and pulled down my tights,” she said. “I was pushing him back. It was quite clear I didn’t want anything else to happen.”

Carroll said she will always regret going into the dressing room with Trump. She?shed tears?as she explained that since the rape she found it impossible to even smile at a man she was attracted to, and that it marked the end of her sex life.

shed tears?流淚

Two of Carroll’s friends told the trial she?confided in?them immediately after the attack but?swore them to secrecy.

confide in?向……吐露秘密

swear sb to secrecy?使起誓（保密）

Tacopina challenged Carroll during nearly two days of?cross-examination. The lawyer focused on her actions during and immediately after the attack, questioning why she didn’t scream or call the police, and why she waited more than 20 years to publicly accuse Trump.

cross-examination?盤(pán)問(wèn)，交互訊問(wèn)

But the questioning?backfired?as Carroll gave confident and credible explanations, saying her inability to give a single cause for not screaming was not evidence she was lying.

backfire v.?適得其反，產(chǎn)生事與愿違的不良（或危險(xiǎn)）后果

“One of the reasons women don’t come forward is because they’re always asked, ‘Why didn’t you scream?’ Some women scream. Some women don’t. It keeps women silent,” she said.

Carroll said she was too “ashamed” to go to the police, even if that was the advice she gave in her Elle column.

“I was born in 1943. I’m a member of the silent generation. Women like me were taught to keep our chins up and to not complain. I would never call the police about something I am ashamed of.”

“I was never going to talk about what Donald Trump did,” she said.

But she was motivated to speak as the #MeToo movement?took off?and women across the US related experiences of sexual assault and harassment.

take off?突然成功

Carroll also sued Trump for defamation, having expected him to say they had a consensual encounter, not deny it altogether.

“It hit me and it laid me low because I lost my reputation. Nobody looked at me the same. It was gone. Even people who knew me looked at me with pity in their eyes, and the people who had no opinion now thought I was a liar and hated me,” she said.

Carroll said she considers Trump “evil” and a “terrible” president but denied bringing the lawsuit because of her political views.

“I’m not?settling a?political?score. I’m settling a personal score,” she said.

settle a score (with sb) 算賬，報(bào)復(fù)

Asked if she regretted accusing Trump, given the consequences, her voice broke.

“I regretted this about 100 times but, in the end, being able to get my day in court finally is everything,” she said, through tears.