The statute of limitations for criminal action had long run. Lawmakers were moved by allegations from all kinds of women, certainly also by the force of the Me Too movement. The new law allows only for civil suits, not criminal charges. It doesn't put anyone behind bars. But it does allow a survivor of sexual abuse to seek damages and try to hold their abuser accountable financially and also reputationally.
This episode contains detailed descriptions of sexual assault.
A jury in Manhattan has found former President Donald J. Trump legally liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll.
Ben Weiser, who covers the Manhattan federal courts for The Times, tells the story of how a nearly 30-year-old case reached this moment.
Guest: Benjamin Weiser, a correspondent for The New York Times covering the Manhattan federal courts.
Background reading:
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