Donald Trump once again asks to delay E. Jean Carroll trial, arguing she's funded by Democrats
New York, New York - Donald Trump and his legal team are once again requesting a delay in the defamation lawsuit from writer E. Jean Carroll.
According to CNN, Carroll's lawyers recently alerted Trump's legal team that "at some point, [Carroll's] counsel secured additional funding from a nonprofit organization to offset certain expenses and legal fees."
Trump's team claims the backer is Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, and are using the information to request a one-month delay of the trial. It is the second time in this case the team has asked.
In a letter to Judge Lewis Kaplan, Trump attorney Alina Habba said the news is "troubling" and "raises significant questions as to Plaintiff's credibility, as well as her motive."
"It also strikes at the heart of one of the key aspects of Plaintiff's defamation claim – whether the instant action is a 'hoax' that was commenced and/or continued to advance a political agenda."
E. Jean Carroll's lawyers argue against a delay
Carroll's lawyers argued that the funds came in 2020, a year after she filed the suit, and are "irrelevant" to the case.
An aide to Hoffman explained to Puck News, "We are third party funders who support people in obtaining their legal rights; we have not met the plaintiffs, we do not decide who the organization chooses to support, and the clients generally do not know our identity."
The trial is scheduled to begin on April 25, but if granted the delay, it could be pushed to May.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire & The Photo Access