Trump on trial: What to know about E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit
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Former President Donald Trump has already been indicted over an alleged hush money payout to porn star Stormy Daniels, but his legal problems are far from over; Trump is also at the center of a trial from E. Jean Carroll, a writer who accused the former president of sexual assault.
What are the facts of the trial?
Despite the crux of the case being about an alleged rape, Trump is not actually being sued criminally for assault. Rather, Carroll is suing Trump for defamation in civil court related to comments he made after her accusations came to light.
The case circulates around Carroll's claim that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in Manhattan in the 1990s. Carroll, a former magazine columnist, first made the accusation in a 2019 memoir. She claims that she ran into Trump at the luxury store Bergdorf Goodman. Trump allegedly asked Carroll for help picking out a gift for a woman, so "she eventually accompanied him to the lingerie department where, she contends, he maneuvered her into a dressing room and raped her," The New York Times reports.
Trump has called Carroll's accusation "a con job," a "hoax" and "a complete scam," according to NBC News, at one point even claiming it was unconstitutional. Trump also said Carroll was "not my type," despite reportedly misidentifying a picture of her as his ex-wife Marla Maples. His words led Carroll to sue the former president for defamation. Caroll's lawsuit alleges that Trump's actions have caused significant damage to her personal and professional life, and she is also suing him for battery related to alleged psychological trauma he caused her.
"As a result of the pain and suffering caused by Trump's sexual assault, Carroll has not been able to sustain a romantic relationship since the day Trump raped her," Carroll's lawsuit reads, per NPR. The trial, much like Trump's ongoing hush money indictment, is expected to be a high-profile one. The judge even ordered that jurors in the case be kept anonymous for their own safety, writing in a filing that this was necessary because Trump "repeatedly has attacked courts, judges, various law enforcement officials, and other public officials, and even individual jurors in other matters."
Despite the fact that the allegations are beyond the statute of limitations, Carroll was able to file the suit because of a new law in New York called the Adult Survivors Act. Passed in May 2022, this law allows victims of abuse a one-time chance to file a civil lawsuit, even if the statute of limitations has passed. Carroll filed her suit on the first day the act was passed, the Times reports.
This is actually the second time that Carroll has sued Trump, with her original defamation lawsuit coming in 2019. Unlike this current suit, though, NPR notes that that case was tied up due to Trump being the sitting president at the time, and has still never gone to trial.
What outcome can we expect from the trial?
Carroll recounted her version of the alleged assault under oath at the trial.
"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen," Carroll said upon taking the witness stand. "He lied and shattered my reputation, and I'm here to try and get my life back." She then recounted the alleged assault, later breaking into tears. "To be able to get my day in court, finally, is everything to me," she said, per the Times. "I'm crying because I'm happy I got to tell my story in court."
Two other women who were allegedly assaulted by Trump are also expected to testify, per The Associated Press. Trump himself, though, is unlikely to appear in the courtroom, his lawyers told CNN, unless he is subpoenaed to testify.
Carroll is seeking monetary damages from the former president, as well as a retraction of his previous words denying her allegations. The jury will ultimately decide if Trump should be held accountable, however, because this is a civil lawsuit, the former president would not face any jail time if found guilty.
The jury's decision, though, is perhaps the most important matter in this case, as a win for Carroll "could ultimately send a strong message about Trump's history of alleged sexual assault and highlight the impact of [the Adult Survivors Act]," Vox writes. This is especially true for rape victims who were previously unaware of this new law.
If Trump is found guilty, it could also compound his legal troubles, which continue to pile up. Beyond this trial and his Stormy Daniels-related indictment, Trump is also facing a probe in Georgia related to possible election interference in 2020. Decisions on any charges in that investigation will be released this coming summer.
How will this affect Trump's presidential run?
Trump has had issues getting women to support him following a long history of misconduct allegations, and a potential guilty verdict in this case likely won't help his prospects. CNN exit polls following the 2020 presidential election showed that out of 15,590 female respondents, 57 percent voted for President Biden while just 42 percent went for Trump. A 2017 CNN poll also found that 61 percent of people believed the claims of sexual misconduct against Trump.
Will this hurt Trump if he winds up being the Republican nominee, as polls show is more likely than not? It's hard to say, and it could depend a lot on the outcome of the case. An NBC News poll of 292 Republican voters found that 70 percent would back Trump despite his legal troubles. However, if nothing else, Carroll's lawsuit could wind up "giving ammunition to his opponents who've suggested he has too much baggage to run successfully," Vox notes.
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