A US judge has dismissed Donald Trump request to have E. Jean Carroll’s defamation claim stem from the high-profile trial next month over whether he raped the former Elle magazine contributor in the mid-1990s.
On Tuesday, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan rejected Trump’s assertion that “absolute litigation privilege” shielded the former president from prosecution for allegedly defaming Carroll on his Truth Social media platform in October by denying the rape occurred.
Trump Denies Accusations
Trump’s attorneys did not immediately reply to demands for comment. The April 25 trial is related to Trump’s alleged rape of Carroll in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996.
Carroll is also pursuing a battery claim under New York legislation that allows survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged perpetrators long after the statute of limitations has expired. Trump stated in his tweet on October 12 that he did not know Carroll, that she made up the rape claim to sell her memoir, and that the accusation was a “hoax,” “lie,” “con job,” and “complete scam.”
The article substantively replicated several comments Trump made in the White House in June 2019, prompting Carroll to file a still-pending lawsuit five months later.
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Grand Jury Investigation
The article substantively replicated several comments Trump made in the White House in June 2019, prompting Carroll to file a still-pending lawsuit five months later. Trump claimed that his post amounted to commentary on Carroll’s previous case and his defenses, and thus was protected.
Trump is awaiting the decision of a grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on whether to prosecute him in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 US presidential election.
Security has been beefed up outside the Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump, who is running for president for the third time, would have to defend himself against any charges.
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