In a written ruling, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the New York federal court expressed his frustration with former President Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to delay a defamation lawsuit against him. The judge criticized Trump’s lawyers for requesting to halt the civil claims made by a New York columnist who accused Trump of raping her in a luxury Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996.
Kaplan highlighted that the case had been significantly delayed due to Trump’s repeated efforts to postpone it. He referred to Trump’s latest motion to stay the proceedings as another attempt to unduly delay the resolution of the matter.
The judge’s ruling indicates that there is a higher chance that the defamation lawsuit will proceed on January 15, coinciding with the start of the primary season as Trump seeks to become the Republican nominee for president once again. This date also aligns with the Iowa Republican caucuses.
Apart from the defamation lawsuit, Trump is currently facing four other criminal indictments. Two cases involve allegations of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Additionally, he is implicated in a classified documents case in Florida and accusations of arranging a payoff to porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her silent before the 2016 election. Trump vehemently denies all charges.
In May, a jury awarded damages of $5 million to the writer, E. Jean Carroll, ruling that she had been sexually abused and defamed by Trump, although they did not find evidence of rape. Carroll’s lawyers now seek an additional $10 million in compensatory damages and a substantial amount in punitive damages for Trump’s remarks during and after his presidency.
The defamation aspect of the award pertains to Trump’s statements made in October, where he denied knowing Carroll and claimed that the sexual attack never occurred, despite her public allegations. Carroll provided extensive testimony about the incident, which allegedly transformed a chance encounter at a Bergdorf Goodman store into a violent assault. Trump did not attend the trial.
The January trial will primarily focus on the defamation claims related to Trump’s remarks in 2019 after Carroll publicly disclosed her rape allegations in a memoir, as well as comments made following the jury’s verdict in May.
Carroll’s legal team plans for the January trial to solely address the damages phase, building upon the May jury’s verdict regarding the sexual abuse.
Judge Kaplan has consistently rejected Trump’s arguments that he is immune to such claims as a former president. Trump’s lawyers requested a delay in the January proceedings, citing a significant likelihood of success on appeal. However, Judge Kaplan dismissed these arguments as “without merit,” stating that Trump has shown no likelihood of success on appeal.
So, Judge Kaplan certified Trump’s appeal as frivolous. Notably, Trump’s lawyers have not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
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