Donald Trump Seeks Mistrial In E. Jean Carroll Rape Trial

Topline

Donald Trump’s lawyer is asking the judge for a mistrial in a civil rape case against the former president, citing frustration with what the judge admonished in court and prevented him from questioning accuser E. Jean Carroll about, ahead of a second day of cross-examination.

Key Facts

Donald Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, accused U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan of being biased against Trump in a letter filed early Monday morning ahead of Carroll taking the stand for cross-examination again.

Tacopina said Kaplan’s rulings “manifests a deeper leaning towards one party over another” and that he “openly expresses favoritism,” Reuters reported.

Trump’s legal team is claiming that Kaplan has, so far, “mischaracterized the evidence in favor of the Plaintiff” and “bolstered the testimony of the Plaintiff,” along with admitting improper testimony and shutting down certain lines of questioning, according to a copy of the letter.

The letter outlines that if Kaplan doesn’t declare a mistrial, he should at least let Tacopina have more freedom in the upcoming cross-examination and he should correct the record for the court.

Mistrial requests are often considered longshots, especially when the request is formed on a judge’s own statements, according to Reuters, but they can sometimes indicate basis for an appeal later down the road.

Key Background

Carroll’s trial started last week for the case, in which she alleges Trump raped her in a dressing room in the department store Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s after they had been shopping together and defamed her in recent years while denying the accusations. The two friends Carroll allegedly told about the incident, as well as two other women who allege sexual assault from Trump, are set to speak at the trial.

What To Watch For

Carroll is set to return to the stand later Monday to continue cross-examination by Tacopina. When she took the stand the first time last week for questioning by her team, she said: “I’m here because Donald Trump raped me,” before going into detail about what she says happened between her and the former president.

Further Reading

E. Jean Carroll Testifies: ‘Donald Trump Raped Me’ (Forbes)

E. Jean Carroll Case: What To Know About The Defamation Suit Accusing Trump Of Rape (Forbes)

Donald Trump requests mistrial in rape accuser Carroll’s civil case (Reuters)

Trump’s lawyers request mistrial in E. Jean Carroll case (ABC News)

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/05/01/donald-trump-seeks-mistrial-in-e-jean-carroll-rape-trial/