E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine columnist, alleged that former President Donald Trump raped her at a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-1990s and then defamed her when he denied her claim.
Carroll sued Trump twice:
- She initially sued Trump for defamation in 2019 when Trump, as president, denied her accusation that he had raped her.
- He filed a second lawsuit in 2022 under the Adult Survivors Act, which reopened the window to file civil lawsuits for sexual assault, for the assault and for statements he made that year, long after leaving office. The trial on the 2019 lawsuit has been delayed by legal challenges.
The lawsuit over her 2022 statements resulted in a verdict last year when a jury found that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll and defamed her in her 2022 statements. That jury awarded Carroll $5 million. Trump is appealing the verdict. He does not face any jail time as a result of the civil verdict.
So what is this trial about? Judge Lewis Kaplan said the federal jury's verdict on the 2022 statements will carry over to this defamation case. Therefore, this jury will be asked to decide how much Trump should pay in damages to Carroll for his 2019 statements.
What could the damage be like? Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected Trump's argument that any future damages be limited, meaning past damages should not be a factor for the jury. Carroll is seeking more than $10 million in damages.
What did Trump say? Trump has denied wrongdoing. He has appealed the jury's verdict and all rulings against him.
