Former Elle magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll observed as Joe Tacopina, the lawyer representing former president Donald Trump, delivered closing arguments in a civil trial pertaining to Carroll’s allegations of rape against Trump in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. The trial also involves a defamation claim. This event took place in New York on May 8, 2023. (Source: Jane Rosenberg | Reuters)
A U.S. federal judge, Lewis Kaplan, has rejected Donald Trump’s fourth attempt to postpone the trial date for the defamation case brought against him by writer E. Jean Carroll. In a 17-page order, Kaplan stated that Trump’s appeal of the previous ruling did not meet the criteria for a delay. As a result, the trial is scheduled to commence in January, potentially overlapping with the Iowa caucus, a crucial Republican primary event where Trump aims to secure victory in a crowded field. The current trial start date is set for Monday, January 15, which coincides with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. However, if the timeline remains unchanged, the trial will likely commence on January 16 in the Southern District of New York.
Carroll, 79, filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump in 2019, based on his public statements denying their encounter and accusing her of ulterior motives. Trump claimed Carroll’s allegations were a ploy to boost book sales and accused her of being a Democratic party operative. In addition to the defamation case, Carroll pursued another lawsuit in 2022, alleging both sexual abuse and defamation. Earlier this year, a jury found Trump liable for both charges and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages, a decision currently being appealed by Trump.
The ruling issued on Friday is connected to a separate appeal triggered by Trump’s last-minute claim of presidential immunity in the 2019 case. The judge had previously denied Trump’s request to dismiss the lawsuit based on this claim. In his latest appeal, Trump sought to delay the trial pending consideration of the immunity issue. Judge Kaplan dismissed Trump’s appeal as “frivolous” and deemed his request for a trial delay weak. At the time of writing, there has been no response from Trump’s legal team regarding this ruling.
Please note that this is a developing story, and further updates will follow.
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