Trump heads back to court with E. Jean Carroll lawsuit expected to inflict more pain
New York, New York - Donald Trump is expected to be back in court Tuesday in New York for a civil case in which he has already been found liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll.
A jury in May of last year concluded that Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a New York department store in 1996.
It awarded her around $2 million for the assault and $3 million for defamation over Trump's remark in 2022, calling her claim "a complete con job."
Tuesday's trial will address how much Trump should be forced to pay for separate remarks he made about Carroll in 2019, as president. She is seeking $10 million in damages.
The second trial opens with jury selection just a day after Trump's big win in the Iowa caucuses. The runaway favorite for the Republican nomination said last week he planned to attend the proceedings in person and face Carroll, now 80. He did not do this in the first trial.
Trump cannot introduce any evidence to argue he did not sexually assault Carroll and that he did not defame her, the judge has said.
Reports say the ex-president will attend the opening session on Tuesday, before heading to a campaign rally in New Hampshire.
Trump risks serious consequences for latest statements on Carroll
According to a document filed in the case, Trump requested a postponement to attend the funeral of his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, Thursday in Florida.
But Judge Lewis Kaplan refused, pointing out that Trump was still planning to meet with supporters in New Hampshire.
Last week, the 77-year-old continued to insist of Carroll that "I never saw this woman in my life" in a posting spree on social media.
He has variously called her a liar, "a wack job," and "not my type."
Counting Tuesday's trial, Trump is ensnared in at least six civil and criminal trials, including two stemming from his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS & SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP