(NEW YORK) — Longtime advice columnist E. Jean Carroll said she feels “fantastic” one day after a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation in her lawsuit against him.
“Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life,” Carroll told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview Wednesday on Good Morning America.
In a lawsuit filed last November, Carroll alleged that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan, New York in the mid-1990s and then defamed her when he mocked and dismissed her claim in 2022. Trump has denied all charges.
A jury in a New York City federal court on Tuesday ruled that Trump did not rape Carroll but did sexually abuse and defame her. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist and Saturday Night Live writer, told ABC News that she didn’t report the incident to police decades ago because she was “too ashamed” and “blamed herself.”
In a 2022 social media post, Trump called Carroll’s allegations “a Hoax and a lie” and said, “This woman is not my type!”
“I only decided to come forward and tell what happened — I thought that was enough,” Carroll told ABC News. “And then he said terrible things about me.”
Carroll recalled feeling “shaken” throughout the trial, especially during her three days of testimony. Trump chose not to take the stand.
“I was always shaken,” she added. “But I felt strong because I knew I was telling the truth and I just stuck to it.”
Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, told ABC News that Trump has “absolutely zero” grounds for an appeal.
“He has no appeal,” Kaplan said, noting that the judge gave Trump “multiple chances to come to that courtroom and testify.”
“Donald Trump, like all of us, is not above the law,” she added.
Carroll recalled holding Kaplan’s “ice cold” hand with anticipation when the jury read the verdict on Tuesday.
“It was this 5-foot-3, wily, female attorney and this elderly, 79-year-old advice columnist who are finally holding Donald Trump liable,” she told ABC News. “It was such a wonderful, overwhelming moment.”
(NEW YORK) — Deja Taylor, the mother of a 6-year-old boy who allegedly shot his first grade teacher in January, says she is willing to take responsibility for the incident, and that her son’s actions can be linked to his ADHD diagnosis.
“I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can’t take responsibility” for himself, she said in an exclusive interview with ABC News.
Taylor is charged with a felony count of child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly leaving a firearm as to endanger a child, prosecutors said. Her bench trial is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Abby Zwerner, her son’s teacher, has recovered from the shooting. She filed a $40 million lawsuit in April against the Newport News School District and Richneck Elementary officials claiming they ignored multiple warnings about the student’s behavior, as well as concerns that he may have a gun. Lawyers for the school board have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming her injuries are covered under the state’s worker’s compensation law for which she was approved to receive benefits, but which she turned down.
Taylor describes her son as a “great kid,” but “very energetic” due to his condition.
“He’s off the wall. Doesn’t sit still, ever,” she said.
In interviews and in her lawsuit, Zwerner characterized the boy as violent and said he “slammed the cellphone on the ground so hard that it cracked and shattered.” In the lawsuit, she also claimed the child had a “history of random violence” and that he “attacked students and teachers alike.”
According to Taylor, the boy “actually really liked” Zwerner and said during the week of the shooting “he felt like he was being ignored.” The cellphone incident happened after Zwerner said she told him to sit down when he was asking her a question.
“You know, most children, when they are trying to talk to you, and if you easily just brush them off, or you ask them to sit down, or you’re dealing with something else and you ask them to go and sit down, at 6 [years old] you — in your mind would believe that, ‘Somebody’s not listening to me,’ and you have a tantrum,” Taylor said.
“He threw his arms up. He said, ‘Fine.’ And when he threw his arms up, he knocked her phone out of her hand on accident,” she said.
A suspension resulted from the incident. Taylor claimed only the screen protector had broken, and she says she had offered to pay for its replacement.
Zwerner’s attorney declined to comment Tuesday.
The shooting took place the day the student returned to class from the suspension, according to the lawsuit.
James Ellenson, Taylor’s attorney, said the ultimate responsibility for the shooting is on school officials who prematurely enrolled the student in first grade despite knowing he had only attended two months of kindergarten and two months of pre-K. They were also aware of his ADHD diagnosis, Ellenson claimed.
“If they believed all of these behaviors to be true, then they should not have allowed him” to advance to a higher level, Ellenson said. “They should’ve put him back into kindergarten, possibly even pre-K, but at the minimum to kindergarten.”
A spokesperson for Newport News Public Schools told ABC News it could not comment on issues related to “a student’s educational record.” A representative for Briana Foster Newton, the principal of Richneck Elementary School at the time of the shooting, did not respond to repeated requests for comment from ABC News.
According to the boy’s family, the school informed Taylor she and other family members were no longer required to be present in the classroom, a request they made in the fall due to the boy’s behavior challenges.
“He had started medication and he was meeting his goals, academically,” she said.
Taylor’s grandfather, Calvin Taylor, who has legal custody of the boy, agreed that “his behavior had changed [for the better] in the classroom” prior to the incident.
“He was more attentive, he tried to follow along, he tried to do the coursework,” Calvin Taylor said. “But in all fairness to the other kids in the class, sometimes it was just too much for him.”
Nothing about his behavior on Jan. 6, the day of the shooting, made it seem like something was wrong, Calvin Taylor said.
“It was almost like a normal day for him … He was happy, you know?” he said.
Ellenson said the gun was legally purchased. Deja Taylor says she last saw it when it was locked, but since then, Ellenson said, “nobody knows” how the boy obtained it. At the time, Deja Taylor’s mental state was frail, she and Ellenson both said. She said she was suffering from postpartum depression following a succession of miscarriages and had been hospitalized for a week.
Now possibly facing up to six years in prison, Deja Taylor said she feels regret.
“I just truly would like to apologize that … she [Zwerner] did get hurt. We were actually kind of forming a relationship with me having to be in the classroom. And she is really a bright person,” she said.
The more appropriate sentence Taylor should face if she is liable for alleged negligence, said Ellenson, would be probation or community service.
The boy remains in the legal custody of Calvin Taylor, who said the boy is in school elsewhere and getting therapy. He said he worries, however, about the boy’s future living in Newport News.
“I just don’t think the constant negativity [from] my community is allowing this to boil over,” he said.
Deja Taylor, he said, should not be absolved for her actions, but deserves to be looked at “as a human being who made a mistake.”
“Jan. 6 was a terrible day for a lotta people,” he said. “A terrible day for the teacher, a terrible day for the kids that was in that classroom, a terrible day for my great-grandson, and a terrible day for the community and my other family members and friends.”
(RICHMOND, Va.) — One man is dead after being shot inside of a Richmond, Virginia, hospital early Wednesday morning. Another man, the alleged shooter, is in custody.
VCU and Richmond Police responded to a call that came in at about 12:04 a.m. about shots fired inside VCU Medical Center North Hospital.
A fight broke out between two men resulting in one shooting the other, police said.
A lockdown at the hospital was lifted and no other injuries were reported. Police said no patients were in danger and there was no indication that patients were involved, according to ABC affiliate WRIC-TV.
Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(BALTIMORE) — Attorneys Ben Crump and Adam Slater announced that they plan to file lawsuits on behalf of the Baltimore Archdiocese sexual abuse victims starting Oct. 1, when the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 goes into effect.
The law, signed by Gov. Wes Moore last month, repealed the statute of limitations concerning damages in civil lawsuits regarding child sexual abuse claims.
During a press conference Tuesday, the attorneys praised the law and encouraged other states to take similar action.
“Hopefully, prayerfully other states will follow because it just didn’t happen in the state of Maryland as we all know,” Crump said.
“There’s so much anger in my life. So much hate,” said victim Marc Floto. “I just hope I can help somebody else understand that they can come forward and talk, or help somebody else young.”
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown released a report last month accusing 156 priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore of sexually abusing more than 600 children.
Most of the alleged abusers are deceased, according to the report, and it did not mention the victims by name – even those who spoke out publicly.
The investigation into the abuse of children in Baltimore became public in 2018 after Archbishop William E. Lori informed priests and deacons that the Archdiocese has been cooperating with the AG’s office in an “investigation of records related to the sexual abuse of children,” according to a statement released by Lori in September of that year.
Lori added, “Based on my conversations with people throughout the Archdiocese…it is clear that we are a church in crisis and that crisis is one of trust. It is my hope and prayer that this independent review and other acts of transparency by the Archdiocese will bring about greater trust in the church among those who are understandably skeptical about the church’s handling of allegations of abuse.”
The attorney general office’s investigation revealed “incontrovertible history” that “is one of pervasive and persistent abuse by priests and other Archdiocese personnel,” according to the report. “It is also a history of repeated dismissal or cover up of that abuse by the Catholic Church hierarchy.”
At the press conference, the victims spoke out about the alleged abuse they received from some of the clergy, seminarians, deacons and employees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Former Maryland state senator Timothy Ferguson indicated that he was sexually abused by a priest during a fishing trip when he was a young teen.
“I’m here basically to help anybody who’s out there who has not come forth, who has not reached out for help. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “And you need people to get better. If it’s people that mess us up, it’s people that help us get better.”
Other victims echoed similar messages.
Tanya Allen, who alleged that she was inappropriately touched in front of the church congregation and also while she was helped into a robe, said “we’re not being silent anymore. Our voices will be heard.”
“I’m not ashamed of anything of that nature that happened to me,” she said. “I’m not the one that should be ashamed.”
The Maryland investigation became public after a two-year probe in Pennsylvania ended with a bombshell grand jury report released in August 2018, accusing hundreds of Roman Catholic priests of assaulting children.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Leaders from the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons gathered on a rainy Tuesday morning in Washington to honor the sacrifice and service of fallen federal correctional officers during National Correctional Officers Week.
From May 7 to May 13, correctional officers and corrections professionals — more than two-dozen of whom have died in the line of duty — are honored for their service and sacrifice from both federal and state prisons, the Bureau of Prisons said.
“We gather together today to honor the memory of those Bureau employees who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” Bureau of Prisons Director Colete Peters told the group of family members and leaders gathered at the National Law Enforcement Memorial. “We must never forget the tragedies of the past and the corrections professional’s lives cut short while ensuring the public’s safety and working to prepare those in custody for successful reentry into our communities.”
Peters highlighted the 26 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout history. Peters highlighted the cases of Royal Cline, a corrections officer who died at USP Alcatraz in 1938 shortly after the BOP was established, and Lt. Osvaldo Albarati, who was murdered in 2013 after he was targeted by inmates on his way home from work at Metropolitan Detention Center Guaynabo in Puerto Rico.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told those gathered that BOP officers and employees risk their lives to ensure the safety and security of the American public.
“Our country is made better because of the dedication of the public servants that make up the Bureau of Prisons,” she said. “Those who go to work for the Bureau of Prisons, who answer the call to serve, often put themselves in harm’s way to do demanding and dangerous jobs. They go about that work quietly, often without praise or thanks, simply hoping to carry out their work protecting their communities and then return safely home to their families.”
Shane Fausey who serves as the President of the Council of Prison Locals, the largest union representing more than 30,000 federal corrections officers, applauded correctional employees as “extraordinary human beings that run towards danger when most people go the other way.”
“We take pause to remember those men and women that have died in the line of duty protecting the American way of life. We are forever grateful and indebted to them and their families,” said Fausey.
There are 159,634 federal inmates as of last Thursday, according to BOP.
(ALLEN, Texas) — A mom, dad and 3-year-old son were all killed in this weekend’s mass shooting in Allen, Texas, officials said, with the family’s 6-year-old son the sole survivor.
The victims have been identified as Kyu Song Cho, 37, his wife Cindy Cho, 35, and their 3-year-old son, James.
The Chos, who lived in Dallas, were among the eight victims killed by a gunman who opened fire on shoppers at the Allen Premium Outlets on Saturday.
Their 6-year-old son, William, was the only survivor of the family, according to a GoFundMe page.
James “was sweet and smart, and he was so cute,” his day care teacher, Trinity Whitley, told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA. “And he was brilliant child. I’ve never actually met a 3-year-old that was that smart. He could read and he was writing his own name.”
“He usually wore elephant bibs and shirts,” she said. “He loved elephants.”
Kyu Cho was an immigration attorney.
He used “his own experience as an immigrant in the early 1990s with his broad range of legal skills, in order to better understand and identify with his clients and to help them with their uniquely specific immigration matters,” according to his profile on his employer’s website. “In his free time, Kyu enjoys participating in church activities, watching his two young boys grow up, and spending time with his family.”
Cindy Cho was a dentist who went by Cindy Kang at her practice.
“Our whole team loved her very much, and we are absolutely heartbroken,” said Coughlin. “Dr. Kang was the sweetest, most beautiful soul with the kindest heart. She was an outstanding dentist, mother, wife, daughter, friend, and faithful woman of God.”
“Our prayers go out to all the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy,” Coughlin added. “Please pray for these families.”
ABC News’ Alyssa Pone and Brandon Baur contributed to this report.
(ALLEN, Texas) — Eight victims were killed when a gunman opened fire on shoppers at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, on Saturday.
Here is what we know about the lives lost:
Kyu Song Cho, Cindy Cho and James Cho
Kyu Song Cho, 37, and his wife Cindy Cho, 35, who lived in Dallas, were among those killed, officials said.
Their 3-year-old son, James Cho, also died.
“He usually wore elephant bibs and shirts,” his day care teacher told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA. “He loved elephants.”
Elio Cumana-Rivas
Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32, lived in Dallas, according to investigators.
Cumana-Rivas, a native of Venezuela, was the fifth of six brothers, said one of his older brothers, Gregory Smith Cumana. He called Cumana-Rivas a hard worker who moved to the U.S. “in search of the American dream.”
“Even if he was angry, he always had that smile and his way of making you see that even if there were problems, you had to keep going,” he said.
Christian LaCour
Christian LaCour, 20, an on-duty security guard at the outlet mall, also died in the shooting, his sister, Brianna Smith, confirmed to ABC News.
Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey on Tuesday commended LaCour, who he said evacuated someone to safety and then was shot while “courageously remaining to help others.”
“He was a really sweet kid,” Smith said. “I’m sad that he’s gone.”
His mother, Tracye LaCour, asked for privacy, telling ABC News they are praying for the families of the other victims.
Daniela Mendoza and Sofia Mendoza
Daniela Mendoza, a fourth grader, and sister Sofia Mendoza, a second grader, were both killed in the shooting, Wylie Independent School District Superintendent David Vinson said in a statement.
The Texas Department of Public Safety didn’t identify the girls by their names but did say two girls, ages 8 and 11, were among those killed.
“Daniela and Sofia were the kindest, most thoughtful students with smiles that could light up any room,” their principal, Krista Wilson, said in a statement. “Our hearts are broken and words cannot express how deeply they will be missed.”
Daniela and Sofia’s mom, Ilda, is in critical condition from the shooting, Vinson said.
“Words cannot express the sadness we feel as we grieve the loss of our students. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mendoza family, the families of the victims, and all those affected by this senseless tragedy,” Vinson said.
“We are not announcing the news to students, as we want our parents to be able to have those conversations,” Vinson added. “Every school’s counseling team is equipped to support those who may be struggling, so please do not hesitate to reach out.”
Aishwarya Thatikonda
Aishwarya Thatikonda, 26, an engineer who lived in McKinney, Texas, was also among the victims, Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA reported.
She was at the mall with a friend, who was injured and hospitalized, a family representative told WFAA
Thatikonda’s family plans to have her body sent to India, where her relatives are located, WFAA reported.
ABC News’ Miles Cohen, Peter Charalambous and Alyssa Pone contributed to this report.
(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — The woman accused of fatally shooting two NYU students in Puerto Rico on Saturday has been detained, officials said.
Officials identified the two students as Franco Medina, 29, and Sergio Palomino Ruiz, 28. They were in Puerto Rico to celebrate a friend’s birthday, according to ABC News New York station WABC.
The female suspect, seen in video released by police, is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
Authorities said the shooting occurred on Loiza Street in San Juan. Police said they are looking for additional suspects.
“The NYU community is brokenhearted and shocked by the deaths of two MBA students in Puerto Rico, victims of senseless, tragic gunfire,” NYU spokesperson John Beckman said. “Our information is that the two students were bystanders caught in an altercation between two unrelated groups.”
According to Beckman, Ruiz and Medina were part of a small group of students who traveled to Puerto Rico on vacation.
“NYU grieves today with the family, loved ones, and friends of these students, whose lives ended tragically, suddenly, and far too early,” Beckman said.
The university said it is providing counseling services to support students and those who knew the victims.
“The University has been in touch with the remaining group members to offer them support and aid; none of the others were injured. NYU has also reached out to the families of the slain students to provide whatever assistance we can and to express the sympathies of the University community,” Beckman said.
Students from the NYU Stern School of Business organized a GoFundMe to help the families of Ruiz and Medina.
ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A manhunt is underway for two inmates, including one facing multiple murder charges, who escaped from a Philadelphia detention center through a hole in the recreation yard’s fence, authorities said.
The two men were discovered missing from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center during a headcount Monday afternoon, according to Philadelphia Prisons Commissioner Blanche Carney.
They escaped Sunday around 8:30 p.m. and were erroneously considered accounted for during three subsequent headcounts, before being discovered missing during the 3 p.m. Monday headcount, according to Carney.
“We are adamant and working tirelessly to get these two dangerous individuals back in custody,” Carney told reporters during a press briefing Monday evening. “We had protocols in place, and those protocols were not followed, so that will be part of our investigation.”
“But the goal here now is to make sure that these two individuals are apprehended promptly and brought back into custody,” she continued.
The commissioner identified the escaped inmates as Ameen Hurst, 18, who was brought to the facility in March 2021 on multiple counts of murder, and Nasir Grant, 28, who was being held since September 2022 on charges including criminal conspiracy, narcotics and firearm violations.
The Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Marshal’s Office are involved in the search for the two men.
“We are working very quickly to try to get them back,” Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told reporters.
Hurst is considered “very dangerous,” Vanore said. The inmate is accused of killing someone in December 2020, fatally shooting two people in March 2021 and, a few days later, fatally shooting a man who had just been discharged from a Philadelphia correctional facility, Vanore said.
Hurst and Grant were housed in the same unit in different cells in the correctional facility and are believed to be together, authorities said.
Blanche said the correctional facility is on lockdown and she has reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to conduct a “facility vulnerability assessment and security assessment as soon as possible.”
The facility is also reviewing security footage as part of its investigation into the breach and reviewing the three headcounts to see “why they did not detect those two individuals missing,” she said.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said a $20,000 reward for each man is being offered for information that leads to their arrest.
“The No. 1 responsibility right now is to get these guys off the street,” Kenney told reporters.
The next priority is to have the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections assess the system, he said.
“Clearly the system screwed up and people didn’t do what they were supposed to do,” Kenney said. “But we’re going to find out exactly who, exactly how often and what we got to do to shore it back up again.”
Kenney said they will get to the bottom of it and “deal with the fallout from there.”
“I’m really angry about it,” the mayor said. “There’s no reason for this.”
(NEW YORK) — A jury on Tuesday found former President Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation in a lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll that claimed Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s then defamed her when he denied the claim in 2022.
Jury members found that Trump did not rape Carroll but sexually abused her, and awarded her a total of $5 million.
“I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS,” Trump posted to his Truth Social platform following the verdict. “THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!”
Here are the top five most consequential moments from the trial.
‘Trump raped me,’ Carroll says
Carroll told jury members that she and Trump were laughing and joking after they ran into one another near the Bergdorf Goodman department store entrance around 1996, and that he asked her to help him buy some lingerie as a gift. Then, she said, he led her into a dressing room, shut the door, shoved her up against a wall, and sexually assaulted her.
“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me,” Carroll testified. “And when I wrote about it, he said it didn’t happen. He lied and shattered my reputation. And I’m here to try and get my life back.”
It was the first time a former U.S. president had been accused of rape in open court.
The ‘silent generation’
Under cross examination by defense attorney Joe Tacopina, Carroll said she didn’t report the alleged attack because, as a woman born in the 1940s, she’s a member of the “silent generation” that didn’t speak up about such things. The exchange came after Tacopina introduced several of her advice columns for Elle magazine in which she suggested that her readers call police in the event of a sexual assault or threat.
“There were numerous times where you’ve advised your readers to call the police” despite Carroll never reporting her own alleged rape to police, Tacopina said.
“I was born in 1943,” Carroll replied. “I am a member of the silent generation. Women like me were taught to keep our chins up and not complain. The fact that I never went to the police is not surprising for someone my age. I would rather have done anything than call the police.”
Trump doesn’t appear
Trump was not required to appear at the trial, as it was a civil case and not a criminal one. But Tacopina said at the start of the trial that Trump might decide to testify as the trial progressed.
The attorney subsequently informed the court that Trump had decided he would not testify — but then, while golfing in Europe, Trump made remarks suggesting he would return to New York to confront his accuser.
In light of those comments, the judge in the case gave Trump until Sunday to file a motion to reopen the case for the sole purpose of testifying.
“If he has second thoughts, I will at least consider it,” the judge said. But Trump ended up filing no motion, and did not appear at the trial.
The Marla moment
Carroll’s attorneys seized on Trump’s deposition last year when he was shown a 1980s-era photograph of Carroll, her then-husband John Johnson, Trump, and his then-wife Ivana Trump — and he momentarily mistook Carroll for his second wife, Marla Maples.
“That’s Marla, yeah. That’s my wife,” Trump said regarding Carroll, according to the deposition.
“The truth is that E. Jean Carroll, a former cheerleader and Ms. Indiana, was exactly Donald Trump’s type,” Carroll’s attorneys argued in court, referring to Trump’s 2022 Truth Social post calling her allegations “a Hoax and a lie” and saying “This woman is not my type!”
‘Access Hollywood’
Carroll’s attorneys juxtaposed Trump’s mistaken identification og Carroll with his remarks on the infamous 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape, on which he is heard saying about women that “I just start kissing them.”
“You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait,” Trump says on the tape, which was played for the jury. “And when you’re a star they let you do it … You can do anything.”
“Whatever you want,” another voice on the tape is heard saying.
“Grab them by the p—-,” Trump says. “You can do anything.”
“What is Donald Trump doing here?” Carroll’s attorney said regarding the tape. “He’s telling you in his own words how he treats women. It’s his modus operandi.”
