NEW YORK — Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll on Thursday adjourned her defamation case against former President Trump. Once the former president's defense begins, he may witness it firsthand and testify in court.
After Carroll briefly called his final witness in the morning, Trump's team first called one of the columnist's longtime friends to the stand, who said Carroll had been sexually assaulted by Trump in the mid-1990s. She reportedly confided in him that he had been sexually assaulted.
Mr. Trump, wearing a suit and blue tie, appeared fairly calm as he listened to his friend testify in court, a change from last week when a judge threatened to remove him from the courtroom if his remarks were overheard. It changed when I hit it.
The former president occasionally yawned and whispered to his lawyer. As the jury watched one of Trump's depositions, footage of Trump denying Carroll's story was played and Trump could be heard saying, “That's true.”
Trump has not yet taken the stand, but he has been listed as a potential witness, and his lawyers continued to indicate Thursday that he plans to testify. That testimony could take place after the lunch break.
Carroll is seeking at least $10 million in defamation damages from President Trump over his denials that he sexually assaulted her at an upscale Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s.
She previously won a verdict that found Trump responsible for the sexual abuse, and a judge ruled that Trump is automatically liable in the case, which is currently on trial. The jury is simply considering Carroll's claim for damages.
Susan Necheres, one of Trump's lawyers in the hush-money criminal case, was also in court Thursday, suggesting that Trump is likely to take a stand.
The jury first heard from Carol Martin, who works for the CBS station in New York and is a longtime friend of Carroll. Martin said that at the time, Carroll confided in her that President Trump had sexually assaulted her.
Mr. Martin testified at Mr. Carroll's previous trial and was called as a witness in Mr. Trump's defense.
Trump's lawyer Alina Hubba sought to highlight that Martin has sent various messages over the past few years hinting at doubts about Carroll's motives for pursuing the case. Martin admitted that he sent messages suggesting that Carroll's narcissism was “out of control.”
“That's a bit of an exaggeration,” Martin said, reiterating that the various messages were simply a matter of poor choice of words. But she admitted that she was sometimes irritated by Carroll hosting and attending parties celebrating various milestones in her case.
When Hubba asked if he thought Carole was enjoying the “fame,” Martin said she was adjusting to the new changes.
“'Enjoy' is a multifaceted word,” Martin says.
Martin went on to say that there were times when she feared for her safety, given her involvement in the lawsuit against Trump.
“I'm a big consumer of news…The climate in this country felt dangerous to me,” Martin said.
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