Lawyers for a writer who claims Donald Trump sexually abused her in the 1990s and that the president then defamed her in 2019 released the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape and accusations of abuse against Trump on Saturday. announced that a woman will not be tried on a jury in New York. Considering damages for defamation.
The revelation by attorney Roberta Kaplan, who represents advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, suggests that the top Republican candidate for this year's presidential election could testify in Manhattan federal court as early as Monday, the day before the New Hampshire primary. It means something.
A jury concluded that Mr. Trump sexually abused Ms. Carroll in the dressing room of an upscale Manhattan department store in the spring of 1996, but did not rape her, and that another jury later concluded that Mr. Carroll had defamed Mr. Trump last spring. They are considering whether Trump owes Carroll more than the $5 million he gave her. October 2022.
Trump attended two of the first three days of the trial, only missing Thursday when he attended his mother-in-law's funeral in Florida.
In a letter to the judge late Saturday, Kaplan said in an effort to keep the issues in the trial “focused,” he used a 2005 tape showing Trump belittling women on a hot mic. He said he would not show it to the jury.
For the same reason, he said he would not call two of Trump's other accusers, Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds, as witnesses.
Both women testified at the trial, which concluded in May last year. Leeds, a former stockbroker, said Trump suddenly groped her against her will on a plane in the 1970s, and Stoynoff, a writer, said Trump groped her against her will while researching a 2005 article. He said he forcibly kissed her against her will.
Kaplan said Trump's lawyers have the right to testify about the Access Hollywood tape and the Stoynoff-Lees allegations, but noted that Carroll's lawyers would not testify unless they brought the case forward. did.
The judge in the case instructed the jury to accept the findings of last year's jury, so the evidence was almost exclusively about President Trump's assertion that he “did not attack her and did not know.” The focus is on what kind of damage Carol was caused by continuing. That she and she are lying.
President Trump, 77, denied his claims during a campaign stop last week, on social media and at press conferences. And Carol, 80, claimed she made false allegations against her for political reasons in order to sell her memoir in 2019, when she first publicly revealed the allegations. continues to do so.
Judges have severely limited what Mr. Trump can testify about if he takes the witness stand, and Mr. Carroll's lawyers are likely seeking further evidence to prevent him from delving into subjects such as the many false claims made by Mr. Trump. It appears that the government has decided to restrict the submission of
But Kaplan said he intended to show statements Trump has made to the jury since his client finished testifying in the case Thursday.
Kaplan said Trump plans to repeat “a thousand times” his claim that he never attacked Carroll and doesn't know her.
“Such a statement, of course, pertains to the issue of punitive damages. It shows that the defendants have no intention of ceasing their defamation campaign against Ms. Carroll even in the face of a lawsuit where they are found liable.” ” she wrote. Her defamation case against her has been resolved. ”
Mr. Trump's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on Mr. Kaplan's letter Saturday night.
