NEW YORK - A Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of the magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil trial, but rejected her rape accusation.

The federal jury of six men and three women took only three hours before returning a verdict and awarded Ms. Carroll, 79, a total of $5 million in damages.

The civil trial is widely watched as it sought to apply the accountability of the #MeToo era to a dominant political figure.

Although more than a dozen women have accused Mr. Trump of sexual misconduct over the years, Ms. Carroll’s case is the first claim to be successfully tested before a jury.

The jury determined that Carroll had proven Mr. Trump sexually abused her, but they rejected the accusation that she had been raped. Sexual abuse is defined in New York as subjecting someone to sexual contact without their consent.

The jury’s unanimous verdict came in Federal District Court in lower Manhattan. Its findings are civil, not criminal, meaning Mr. Trump has not been convicted of any crime and faces no prison time.