Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll for defamation. The counterclaim comes years after a jury found Trump guilty of sexually abusing and defaming Carroll.
In 2019, Carroll sued the former president for defamation after he denied allegations that he raped Carroll in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s. Trump was found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation, but the jury did not find that he raped her. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages.
Last year, Carroll sued him again for defamation under a New York state law that allowed for a one-year window for civil lawsuits for victims of sexual assault. She is seeking more than $10 million and is scheduled to go on trial next year.
Now, Trump is filing a suit against Carroll for appearing on CNN after the trial. When asked about the verdict and the jury’s decision that Trump did not rape her, she said, “Oh, yes he did.”
In response to the news, Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan issued a statement.
“Trump’s filing is thus nothing more than his latest effort to delay accountability for what a jury has already found to be his defamation of E. Jean Carroll. But whether he likes it or not, that accountability is coming very soon,” said Kaplan.
This lawsuit adds to the list of cases that Trump is currently dealing with. Earlier this month, he was indicted on 37 counts for willful retention of national security information and conspiracy to obstruct justice. He was arrested and arraigned at the Miami federal courthouse, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Trump has yet to comment on the lawsuit that he is bringing against Carroll, though it will likely be many months before the case goes to trial.
