A federal judge has made a significant ruling in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump. In this case, the jury’s primary task will be to determine the amount of money Trump will have to pay, as the judge has found him liable for making defamatory statements.
This ruling presents a major challenge for Trump, who is currently facing multiple criminal charges and civil lawsuits, many of which are converging as he launches a presidential campaign.
Judge Lewis Kaplan has declared that the federal jury’s verdict from earlier this year, in which Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her, will extend to the upcoming defamation trial set for January. This trial centers on Trump’s 2019 statements about Carroll’s sexual assault allegations.
E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine columnist, had accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store during the mid-1990s. Trump later defamed her by denying these allegations.
The jury’s prior finding that Carroll did not lie about the sexual assault allegations is now binding in this case. Consequently, Trump cannot contest the accuracy of his 2019 statements.
Judge Kaplan has specified that the upcoming trial on January 15 will focus solely on determining the amount of damages to be awarded to Carroll.
Although Carroll initially filed her lawsuit in 2019, the judge had previously permitted her to incorporate Trump’s comments made at a CNN town hall earlier this year.
Additionally, Kaplan rejected Trump’s argument for capping potential future damages, asserting that the previous award should not limit the jury’s deliberations. Carroll is seeking over $10 million in damages.
Trump maintains his denial of any wrongdoing and has lodged an appeal against the jury’s verdict and all adverse rulings against him.