Retired journalist E. Jean Carroll could receive higher damages if she sues former President Donald Trump for a third time, according to an attorney.
Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, has acquired a transcript of Trump’s January 17 press conference, during which he once more alleged that she was lying about his alleged sexual assault on her in the mid-1990s at a New York City department store. Kaplan informed the court that Trump defamed Carroll in his remarks, potentially leading to a third defamation case.
Bryan M. Sullivan, el abogado de Hunter Biden y socio fundador de Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae con sede en Los Ángeles, dijo que un tercer caso de difamación probablemente sería aún más costoso para Trump que los dos anteriores.
“She can sue him a third time, and precedence has been established from the first two cases. The damages would likely be increased the third time,” he said.
Sullivan pointed out that the ex-president’s remarks also raise the possibility of a gag order or contempt proceedings in the current second defamation trial.
“It would give the court potential grounds to issue an injunction precluding Trump from speaking about the claims that can be subsequently enforced in contempt proceedings,” he said.
During the press conference on January 17, Trump reiterated his stance, calling the allegations against him “rigged” and dismissing Carroll as “a person I have no idea who she was, and nor could I care less.” His statements, along with 30 posts on Truth Social the same day, have caught the attention of Carroll’s legal team.
Trump’s January 17 posts about Carroll mostly consisted of screenshots of her past comments on sex or sexuality on Twitter, which were made X years ago and seemingly unrelated to the current case.
These include a post she made on July 26, 2011, stating: “Would men have invented chastity belts, veils, and crocks if women weren’t just unbelievably HOT?—Honey, you were BORN to seduce.”
In another of the Carroll Twitter posts Trump shared, from June 4, 2014, she said: “There is no such thing as a ***. Only sexual geniuses.”
A third, from June 7, 2014, saw Carroll comment: “The kinkiest **** is your brain.”
Trump’s social media posts included screenshots of Carroll’s past comments on sex and sexuality, which her legal team argues are unrelated to the case.
Carroll’s relentless pursuit of justice was evident in a previous trial that concluded in May 2023, where a jury awarded her $5 million for sexual assault and defamation.
In the most recent case, Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled in September that Trump had also defamed Carroll in 2019 when he alleged that she fabricated her claims of sexual assault in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Currently, a jury is reviewing evidence to decide the amount of damages to be awarded to Carroll in this second case.
“After leaving the courthouse on January 17, defendant gave a press conference in which he, among other things, repeated his defamatory statements about Ms. Carroll.
“We learned about that press conference later that evening, promptly prepared a video and transcript of the portion we intended to put into evidence, and sent the video and transcript to defendant’s counsel,” she wrote.
She quoted Trump from the press conference as stating:
“The witness today, the person I never knew, I never had anything to do with, it’s a totally rigged deal, this whole thing is rigged—election interference. But, this is a person I have no idea—until this happened, obviously—I have no idea who she was, and nor could I care less. It’s a rigged deal, it’s a made-up, fabricated story.”
The courts have repeatedly found Trump to have defamed Carroll. Judge Lewis Kaplan’s decision in September reinforced this, citing Trump’s defamatory remarks in 2019. As a jury deliberates the damages for that case, Carroll’s legal team remains vigilant, ready to capitalize on any new defamatory statements that could further their client’s claims.
Relevant articles:
– Donald Trump may have another E. Jean Carroll problem
– Trump continues blasting E. Jean Carroll as damages trial postponed amid Covid concerns, NBC News, Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:39:43 GMT
– Trump Attacks E. Jean Carroll In More Than 40 Posts On Truth Social, Forbes, Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:39:18 GMT
– Trump may testify in E Jean Carroll defamation case: What you need to know, Al Jazeera English, Mon, 22 Jan 2024 13:15:12 GMT