NEW YORK – E. Jean Carroll's defamation case against former President Trump will remain on hold, a court announced Wednesday.
The additional suspension was announced in a simple update to the minutes without explanation and marks the third consecutive one-day delay.
The trial began last week and was initially expected to resume on Monday, with Trump in court and his lawyers indicating they were willing to take the stand as early as that day.
But U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan halted the trial within minutes, citing concerns about the coronavirus. The court sent a juror home who felt unwell and directed him to take a coronavirus test.
Alina Haba, President Trump's lead lawyer in the case, also expressed symptoms on Monday and said she had recently been exposed to the virus, but Kaplan tested negative that morning. said.
Kaplan similarly silenced the trial Tuesday with a brief order without explanation.
Haba suggested Trump wanted to travel to New Hampshire for the primary and urged the judge to allow the former president to testify Wednesday instead.
However, neither side has publicly asked the judge to postpone the trial until later, and the reasons behind this suspension remain unclear.
Carroll's lawyers had hoped to continue pursuing the case on Monday. After the judge granted the first pause, Carroll's lawyers argued that the trial could proceed if the juror was unwell.
The court has not released any updates on the juror's health or test results.
Carroll is seeking at least $10 million in damages from Trump over his denials of Carroll's accusations that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s.
A previous jury had found Trump responsible for the sexual assault, and the latest lawsuit accuses Trump of defaming Carroll by denying her story when she came forward in 2019. This is done to determine how much you will have to pay.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
