A federal judge on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss the civil lawsuit brought forward by E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape.
A grand jury in May found Trump liable of battery and defamation against Carroll after she accused him of raping her inside a dressing room at Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman department store in 1995 or 1996. The jury did not find Trump liable of rape, and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages.
Judge Lewis Kaplan said the former president’s justifications for dismissing the case are “without merit,” according to CNBC. Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, said Trump’s arguments to end the case “don’t work.”
His attorneys initially filed to end the suit in December, arguing he had “absolute immunity” because he made the allegedly defamatory remarks about Carroll while president, CNBC reported. Kaplan, in a 46-page decision, dismissed the “absolute immunity” argument.
“Mr. Trump does not identify any connection between the allegedly defamatory content of his statements … to any official responsibility of the president. Nor can the Court think of any possible connection,” Kaplan wrote, according to the outlet.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 09: Writer E. Jean Carroll leaves a Manhattan court house after a jury found former President Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990’s on May 09, 2023 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, said they “disagree” with the decision and will take steps to provide “all viable defenses,” CNBC reported. (RELATED: Trump Says E. Jean Carroll’s Story Is ‘Fake,’ Accuses Case Of Attempting ‘Election Interference’)
“We disagree with the Court’s decision and will be taking the appropriate steps to preserve all viable defenses,” Habba reportedly said in a statement.
Trump on Wednesday countersued Carroll for defamation over her allegations of rape. His counterclaim points to several remarks allegedly made by Carroll in public interviews.
“The interview was on television, social media and multiple internet websites, with the intention of broadcasting and circulating these defamatory statements among a significant portion of the public,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in the filing.
After the trial, Carroll amended all of her “rape” claims to “sexual abuse,” and included Trump’s remarks about the allegations being made up by a “whack job.” The former president made the remarks during a CNN Townhall with network anchor and former Daily Caller reporter Kaitlan Collins.