Former President Donald Trump could return to a New York courtroom Thursday to defend himself against a lawsuit seeking more than $10 million for things he said about advice columnist E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault. Trump’s first visit to court on Monday ended abruptly because a juror was ill. The trial has been suspended since then.
Quick Read
Key Points of Trump’s Legal Battle with E. Jean Carroll:
- Ongoing Lawsuit: Former President Donald Trump is defending himself in a New York courtroom against a lawsuit filed by advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, seeking over $10 million in damages.
- Background of the Case: Carroll accused Trump of sexual assault dating back to 1996 in a department store dressing room. Trump denies the allegations and claims he never knew Carroll.
- Previous Trial Outcome: A jury last year found in favor of Carroll, awarding her $5 million for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump did not testify or attend that trial.
- Current Trial Focus: The current trial, presided over by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, is centered on determining additional damages owed by Trump for his disparaging remarks about Carroll made while he was president.
- Testimony Restrictions: Judge Kaplan has limited Trump’s testimony to prevent contradicting last year’s verdict, barring him from claiming Carroll fabricated her assault allegations or was politically motivated.
- Trump’s Courtroom Behavior: Trump has expressed his disdain for the case through comments and gestures in the courtroom, leading to a warning from Judge Kaplan.
- Public Statements: Despite the lawsuit, Trump continues to make public pronouncements similar to the statements under litigation, as shown by Carroll’s attorneys during the trial.
- Carroll’s Alleged Gains vs. Harassment: Trump’s lawyers argue that Carroll has gained fame and financial benefits from her lawsuit, outweighing the negative backlash she received.
- Potential Trump Testimony: Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, indicates he may testify about his state of mind during the disputed statements and his lack of ill will towards Carroll.
- Additional Witnesses and Evidence: Carroll’s attorneys plan to call a final witness and show parts of Trump’s deposition from October 2022.
- Context of Trump’s Other Legal Challenges: This trial occurs amid four other criminal cases against Trump, coinciding with the presidential primary season and his claims of being targeted by Democrats.
The Associated Press has the story:
Trump could testify as trial set to resume in his legal fight with E. Jean Carroll
Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP) —
Former President Donald Trump could return to a New York courtroom Thursday to defend himself against a lawsuit seeking more than $10 million for things he said about advice columnist E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault.
Trump’s first visit to court on Monday ended abruptly because a juror was ill. The trial has been suspended since then.
Carroll’s lawyers are expected to finish presenting their case in the morning. If everything goes as planned, Trump could be on the witness stand before a lunch break. Trump is fresh off big victories in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday and the Iowa caucus last week.
Carroll, 80, testified at a trial last year in the same courtroom that she was attacked by Trump in the dressing room of a midtown luxury department store in spring 1996. A jury last year agreed that it happened and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation.
Trump denies ever knowing Carroll and says she made up her claims to sell a memoir. He did not testify at or attend last year’s trial, a decision he now says he regrets.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ruled that last year’s jury conclusions meant that a new jury chosen last week only needs to decide how much more money, if any, Trump owes Carroll for disparaging her and calling her a liar in 2019 while he was president.
Thus, Kaplan has ruled, Trump will be barred from testifying about subjects that would conflict with last year’s verdict. He will not, for instance, be permitted to say she made up her sexual assault claims or that she was motivated by her book deal or for political reasons.
Trump, 77, attended the trial two of three days last week and let the jury know — through muttered comments and gestures like shaking his head — that he was disgusted with the case against him.
Trump has already tested the judge’s patience. After he complained to his lawyers about a “witch hunt” and a “con job” within earshot of jurors, Kaplan threatened to eject him from the courtroom if it happened again. “I would love it,” Trump said. Later that day, Trump told a news conference Kaplan was a “nasty judge” and that Carroll’s allegation was “a made-up, fabricated story.”
When not in court, he has repeatedly made pronouncements on his social network similar to statements at stake in the trial. Carroll’s attorneys have put some of those statements before the jury, arguing that the only way to stop Trump from defaming Carroll is to hit him in a big way financially.
Trump’s attorneys have tried to show the jury through their cross-examination of witnesses that Carroll has gained a measure of fame and financial rewards through taking on Trump that outweighs the death threats and other venom slung at her through social media.
One of Trump’s lawyers, Alina Habba, has told the judge that he might testify because, even with the judge’s restrictions, “he can still offer considerable testimony in his defense.”
Among other things, he can testify about his state of mind when he made the statements that got him sued and about how his comments came as Carroll was doing media interviews and journalists were asking him about her, Habba wrote.
She also suggested he could “show his lack of ill will or spite” by talking about how he “corrected” his initial denial of having ever met Carroll.
Before he testifies, Carroll’s attorneys are expected to rest their case after calling a final witness whose testimony will likely last less than an hour and show snippets of a deposition that Trump underwent in October 2022.
The current trial is in addition to four criminal cases Trump faces as the presidential primary season heats up. He has been juggling court and campaign appearances, using both to argue that he’s being persecuted by Democrats terrified of his possible election.
