The trial for defamation filed by E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump is set to resume following a delay due to COVID-19.
E. Jean Carroll’s defamation trial against Donald Trump is set to continue on Thursday in Manhattan federal court, having experienced a brief delay due to a Covid scare. Stay informed about the latest developments by following recent news sources.
Trump’s legal team has indicated the possibility of him testifying in the trial later this week. Carroll’s lead attorney, Roberta Kaplan, mentioned on Monday that the remaining witness testimonies from her team would be brief. This suggests that if Trump goes ahead with his planned testimony, it could occur on Thursday.
The expected courtroom clash was initially set for Monday, but it got postponed when a juror fell ill with Covid symptoms on the way to court. Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, argued for the trial to proceed without this juror. However, it later emerged in court that Trump’s team had been exposed to Covid.
In this case, Trump’s lead attorney, Alina Habba, revealed that she had attended a dinner with her parents a few days ago, and one of them had contracted Covid. On Monday, she mentioned feeling unwell.
The judge agreed to postpone the trial until Tuesday for Covid testing of all involved in Carroll’s case. Habba, Trump’s lawyer, pointed out that Trump had campaign commitments on Tuesday and requested an additional delay.
“My client reminded me, and I’m in trial mode, I apologize. Tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary, and he needs to be there. He was planning to testify,” Habba said. “Clearly, he flew in last night to be here. I just need his testimony to be on Wednesday in light of the news about the juror today.”
Judge Lewis Kaplan did not make an immediate decision. A later court filing revealed that the proceedings would be postponed until Wednesday. Another filing on Tuesday indicated a further delay, this time until Thursday. No reasons were given for these postponements.
The former president could testify on Thursday if he proceeds with his planned testimony, following a trial delay due to a juror’s illness.
E. Jean Carroll Defamation lawsuit:
In 2019, E. Jean Carroll took legal action against Donald Trump, claiming he harmed her reputation when she accused him of rape. The lawsuit involves allegations of defamation and emotional distress. The Department of Justice tried to move the case to federal court, but that attempt was rejected.
In 2022, Carroll filed another lawsuit, this time for battery. In 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse, battery, and defamation, and awarded Carroll $5 million. Trump appealed, and a second trial is scheduled for 2024.
Recently, Carroll won a significant judgment, and a new defamation trial is set for January 15, 2024. In June 2023, Trump’s counter-suit was dismissed, with the court ruling Carroll’s claim of rape as substantially true.
Sexual assault allegations against Les Moonves:
E. Jean Carroll was among 13 women who accused CBS Corporation executive Les Moonves of sexual assault in 2019. She claimed that the incident occurred in the late 1990s in a hotel elevator after interviewing Moonves for a story. Moonves has denied the allegation.
Elizabeth Jean Carroll Early Life:
Elizabeth Jean Carroll, born on December 12, 1943, is an American journalist and advice columnist known for her “Ask E. Jean” column in Elle magazine from 1993 to 2019.
In her 2019 book, Carroll accused Les Moonves and Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s. Both denied the allegations. Carroll then sued Trump for defamation and battery, and on May 9, 2023, a jury found Trump liable, awarding her $5 million in damages.
Carroll was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She attended Indiana University, where she was a cheerleader and crowned Miss Indiana University in 1963. In her early career, she also won the Miss Cheerleader USA title in 1964.