Former President Donald Trump may appear in a New York courtroom this week to defend himself against a lawsuit seeking more than $10 million for comments he made about advice columnist E.
NEW YORK (AP)— Former President Donald Trump might return to a New York courthouse on Thursday to defend himself against a lawsuit seeking more than $10 million for comments he made about advice columnist E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault.
Trump's first court appearance on Monday was cut short due to a juror's illness. The trial has been halted since then.
Carroll's attorneys are anticipated to wrap up their case in the morning. If everything goes as planned, Trump might take the witness stand before the lunch break. Trump is coming off significant wins in the New Hampshire primaries on Tuesday and the Iowa caucuses last week.
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Trump denies knowing Carroll and alleges she made up the story to promote a biography. He declined to testify or attend last year's trial, something he now says he regrets.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan concluded that last year's jury findings meant that a fresh jury picked last week merely needed to assess how much additional money Trump owed Carroll for degrading her and labeling her a liar when he was president in 2019.
Thus, Kaplan has determined that Trump will be excluded from testifying on issues that would contradict last year's ruling. He will not, for example, be allowed to allege that she made up her sexual assault accusations, that she was motivated by a book contract, or that she was political.
Trump, 77, attended the trial for two out of three days last week and expressed his disdain with the case against him through murmured words and movements such as shaking his head.
Donald Trump has already tried the judge's patience. After complaining to his attorneys about a "witch hunt" and a "con job" in front of jurors, Kaplan threatened to remove him from the courtroom if this happened again. "I would love it," Trump stated. Later that day, Trump told a press conference that Kaplan was a "nasty judge" and Carroll's allegations were "a made-up, fabricated story."
When not in court, he has often posted remarks on his social media that are identical to those at issue in the trial. Carroll's lawyers have shown some of those remarks to the jury, suggesting that the only way to stop Trump from defaming Carroll is to strike him hard financially.
Trump's attorneys have attempted to persuade the jury via cross-examination of witnesses that Carroll has garnered fame and financial incentives for taking on Trump that exceed the death threats and other hatred directed at her on social media.
One of Trump's attorneys, Alina Habba, has urged the judge that he may appear because, despite the judge's limits, "he can still offer considerable testimony in his defense."
Among other things, he can testify about his mental condition at the time he made the allegations that led to his lawsuit, as well as how his comments occurred while Carroll was doing media interviews and journalists were questioning him about her, Habba wrote.
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She also advised that he "show his lack of ill will or spite" by discussing how he "corrected" his original denial of meeting Carroll.
Carroll's attorneys are anticipated to rest their case after bringing a last witness, whose testimony will most likely take less than an hour and include excerpts from Trump's October 2022 deposition.
The new trial adds to Trump's four other criminal charges as the presidential primary season heats up. He has been mixing court and campaign appearances, claiming that he is being hounded by Democrats who are afraid of his potential election.
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