Trump Accuser Natasha Stoynoff Reacts to E. Jean Carroll Trial Verdict: 'There Is Power in Truth' (Exclusive) (2024)

Former PEOPLE writer Natasha Stoynoff is speaking out after a jury found President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming former Elle advice columnist E. Jean Carroll following a highly publicized civil trial.

Stoynoff testified as a witness in the trial last week, detailing her own claim of sexual assault at the hands of the former president. Another Trump accuser, ex-businesswoman Jessica Leeds, also took the witness stand in an attempt to demonstrate a pattern of behavior with the former president.

"I'm elated," Stoynoff exclusively tells PEOPLE, moments after learning about the verdict. "I'm grateful to the jury for believing Ms. Carroll, Ms. Leeds, and myself ... and for standing up for truth."

She continues: "I hope women and all of those who come forward to share stories of sexual abuse, assault, and harassment find support. There is power in the truth."

The case against the former president — which moved through a Manhattan federal court — stemmed from rape and defamation allegations made by Carroll, who sued the former president under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which creates a one-year lookback window for survivors of sexual abuse to file claims otherwise barred by the statute of limitations.

Carroll claimed in her suit that Trump "forced her up against a dressing room wall, pinned her in place with his shoulder, and raped her" roughly 27 years ago in a fitting room at Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

The complaint claimed that the incident "severely injured Carroll, causing significant pain and suffering, lasting psychological harms, loss of dignity, and invasion of her privacy" and sought "redress for her injuries and to demonstrate that even a man as powerful as Trump can be held accountable under the law."

To reach a decision in Carroll's trial on Tuesday, nine jury members — six men and three women — were asked to unanimously answer up to 10 questions, some of which dealt with the degree of battery, if any, they would like to hold Trump liable for. Options included determining whether he raped Carroll, sexually abused her, forcibly touched her or did none of the above.

The jury ultimately concluded that she was not raped, but sexually abused: the second-highest offense that they could choose. Because it is a civil trial, their verdict does not determine guilt and will not lead to criminal charges. The jury did, however, have the power to order that Trump pay Carroll $2 million for sexual abuse and $3 million for defamation.

Stoynoff acted as a witness for Carroll, appearing on the stand to testify about her own allegations against the former president, which she says took place in December 2005 while she was on assignment at Mar-a-Lago to interview him and his wife, a then-pregnant Melania Trump, for a story.

Speaking under oath, Stoynoff said Trump led her to a room where the two could wait while Melania was changing mid-photo shoot.

"I followed him and we went through the back door," she testified. "I hear the door shut. He pushed me against the wall and started kissing me."

While she said she "tried to shove him" away, Stoynoff added that Trump was "holding my shoulders back." Trump then "came toward me again, and I tried to shove him again," she testified. "He was kissing me, he was up against me. He was holding my shoulders back."

Minutes later, Trump was interrupted by a butler who entered the room to tell the two Melania was ready.

Stoynoff said Trump then told her, "You know, we are going to have an affair," and bragged about being good in bed.

"I was trying to pretend nothing had happened," she testified, adding that she felt "ashamed and humiliated" at the time.

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Stoynoff, who told her story in a first-person essay for PEOPLE in 2016, said that she didn't go public earlier because she feared "Trump would try to destroy me."

Tuesday's bombshell verdict in the E. Jean Carroll trial marks the first time Trump — who has been accused of sexual assault by several women over the years — is being held liable for sexual misconduct.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.