Former US President Donald Trump is seeking a new trial in a civil lawsuit brought against him by author E.Jean Carroll. In a previous case, a jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll and awarded her $5 million in damages.
Trump’s lawyers say the jury’s awards are excessive and speculative.
The defense contends that the $2 million award for the sexual assault portion of the verdict is too high because the jury did not find that Carroll had been raped, and her alleged experiences did not result in a diagnosis of mental injury. was They also argue that the $2.7 million awarded for defamation is unsupported speculation.
Carroll’s attorney dismissed Trump’s arguments as frivolous, saying the jury considered the evidence and unanimously found Trump guilty of sexual assault. He pointed out that Trump did not present any of his witnesses during the trial.
Carroll, a former advice columnist, filed a lawsuit in 2022 alleging that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s and defamed her, which she denies. The lawsuit included testimony from Carroll’s friends and other women who claimed Trump assaulted them under similar circumstances. Trump’s lawyers argued that Carroll’s narrative was implausible and lacked supporting evidence for his damages claims.
The case is not the first legal battle between Carroll and Trump. He previously filed a defamation lawsuit in 2019, which has been delayed by questions about Trump’s immunity as a former president. Carroll sought to amend the lawsuit to include additional damages over Trump’s recent comments, where he called the case a “complete piece of work.”
Trump, who is currently running as the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential campaign, has denied the allegations and has appealed the decision. The judge has yet to rule on Carroll’s request to amend his lawsuit.
