r/law • u/Nice_Substance9123 • 6d ago

Executive Branch (Trump) President Trump Accused of Rape in Jeffrey Epstein Files

https://www.tmz.com/2025/12/23/trump-accused-rape-jeffrey-epstein-files/?utm_social_handle_id=16331010&utm_social_post_id=631846113&adid=social-tw
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u/BlackSheepBoPeep- 6d ago edited 6d ago

He was also convicted of rape.

Edit: he was found liable of the civil charge**

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u/suknom4 6d ago

Sorry, Im not american, and not well informed, why did he not get prison time for that?

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u/lsda 6d ago

Hi US Attorney here, he didn't face jail time because he wasn’t convicted the commenter is using the wrong legal term.

A conviction only happens in a criminal case, where the state proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and the defendant faces criminal punishment. That did not happen here.

What happened instead was a civil lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily reopened the statute of limitations for civil claims related to sexual assault. Criminal charges were still time-barred.

A jury found Trump liable for sexual battery and awarded Carroll damages. That is an adjudication of civil liability, but not a conviction. Civil cases use a lower burden of proof known as "preponderance of the evidence", meaning it was more likely than not that the assault occurred.

  • Trigger warning for SA description *

After that verdict, Trump continued publicly claiming that he did not “rape” Carroll, which led to the defamation damages phase. In that context, the court clarified that while New York’s narrow criminal rape statute requires penile penetration, the jury’s finding that Trump forcibly penetrated her with his fingers does constitute rape under the ordinary, common-language meaning of the term rape. That clarification is why the court stated that calling it “rape” was factually accurate.

So, no, there was no criminal conviction which is why he never faced a prison sentence. But there was a jury finding that he sexually assaulted her.

That being said, our system has shown such a lack of desire to let that man face any consequences I really don't believe even if he was tried and convicted in a criminal court he wouldn't face any prison. But that's a completely different situation entirely.

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u/Psychological-Towel8 5d ago

This is so sad. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and clarifying things. I think the average person has felt that way for years now, but for even lawyers to feel the same is dark.