Topline
Writer E. Jean Carroll is mulling a third defamation suit against former President Donald Trump after he used a CNN appearance to once again deny sexually abusing her in a department store in the 1990s, her lawyer told the New York Times on Thursday, just two days after a Manhattan jury found Trump liable in civil court for sexually abuse and defamation.
E. Jean Carroll, second from right, leaves federal court in New York, Monday, May 8, 2023. A jury … [+]
Key Facts
At a CNN town hall Wednesday night, Trump responded to questions from moderator Kaitlan Collins about the jury’s verdict by calling the trial “a rigged deal,” calling Carroll a “wack job,” denying knowing Carroll and saying her claims were “fake” and a “made-up story,” comments that garnered laughter and applause from the crowd.
On Thursday, Carroll told the New York Times she hadn’t watched Trump make the comments but read parts of the transcript, adding that Trump’s words were “just stupid, it’s just disgusting, vile, foul, it wounds people.”
Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, told the Times they were considering another defamation lawsuit—which would be Carroll’s third against Trump—and would likely “come to a decision in the next day or so.”
Key Background
On Tuesday, a Manhattan jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning a unanimous verdict that found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a department store in the 1990s, and defaming Carroll by denying the incident on social media. Jurors awarded Carroll about $5 million in damages—$2 million for sexual abuse and $3 million for defamation, but rejected her claim that Trump raped her. Carroll first accused Trump of rape in a June 2019 excerpt from her book that was published in New York Magazine, and sued Trump for defamation months later after he denied Carroll’s account and claimed he never met her. Carroll filed a second lawsuit in November 2022 where she doubled down on her defamation claims and added allegations of battery from the original encounter in 1995 or 1996. She was allowed to add battery charges, which she hadn’t yet sued for, because of a New York law that let adult sexual assault victims file suits against their alleged abusers regardless of how long ago the incident was.
Tangent
Trump’s comments about Carroll from the town hall, which was his first time appearing on CNN since 2016, weren’t the only thing that drew criticism. During the live event, Trump also said he would pardon “many” of the convicted January 6 Capitol rioters, denied the results of the 2020 election and justified his possession of classified documents at Mar-A-Lago, saying he “had every right” to take them.
Further Reading
Trump Rape Trial Begins Tuesday—Here’s What To Know (Forbes)
Trump Sexually Abused E. Jean Carroll And Owes $5 Million In Damages, Jury Finds (Forbes)
E. Jean Carroll May Sue Trump a Third Time After ‘Vile’ Comments on CNN (New York Times)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/05/11/e-jean-carroll-reportedly-considers-suing-trump-again-for-calling-assault-claim-made-up-just-days-after-jury-verdict/