Amid a Legal Onslaught, Trump is accused of Rape
The Fifth Circuit Circuit Trial Trial in the Sexual Affliction and Defamation Civil Suspense Against Donald J. Carroll
The measure passed, and shortly after midnight on Nov. 24, when it took effect, Ms. Carroll sued Mr. Trump. After years of accusations, angry denials and articles, the case is scheduled for a jury trial on Tuesday in Federal District Court in Manhattan.
The proceedings will be held while a number of lawsuits against Mr. Trump are being argued that they are meant to drag him down. It comes just weeks after Mr. Trump’s appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court, where he pleaded not guilty to fraud charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star, and a recent appearance in Manhattan where he was questioned under oath in a civil fraud lawsuit brought by Attorney General Letitia James of New York.
A cyclone of news coverage followed his arraignment. He attacked judges, law enforcement officials and even individual jurors in other matters so the judge ordered them to be kept anonymous.
If a jury finds in favor of Carroll, Trump would not be considered a criminal rapist under the law. Nevertheless, it could be seen as a form of accountability long sought not only by Carroll, but by many women who have claimed Trump sexually assaulted or inappropriately touched them.
NEW YORK — Jury selection begins Tuesday in the sexual assault and defamation civil suit brought against former President Donald Trump by the writer E. Jean Carroll. Late last year, Carroll accused Trump of “causing significant pain and suffering, lasting psychological harms, loss of dignity, and invasion of her privacy.” Trump’s lawyers argued that the statute under which the assault and defamation claims were brought violated due process.
Trump’s lawyers are expected to argue that Carroll’s nearly 30-year old claims cannot be proved, and that Carroll was motivated by the potential for book sales and publicity.
The second suit was filed in New York in November 2022, under the New York Adult Survivors Act, which made it possible for victims of sexual assault to make civil claims that are older than the statute of limitations. Like the first suit, the second one contains a defamation claim. Because Trump was no longer president at the time the claim was filed, it has proceeded quickly to trial.
Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women in the video, but he said it was “locker room talk” and not meant in earnest.
Trump’s team says it may call Dr. Edgar Nace, a psychiatrist, and Trump himself. It is unknown if the former President will attend the trial if he does not take the stand.
Carroll is asking for unspecified damages, and demanding that Trump retract an allegedly defamatory statement about her. It’s possible that damage will run to tens of millions of dollars.
