E Jean Carroll’s New York defamation trial against Donald Trump resumes Thursday with her continued cross-examination.
Carroll took the stand on Wednesday in the Manhattan federal court trial, which will determine financial penalties against the former US president over his denials of her rape allegation against him in 2019.
“I’m here because Donald Trump assaulted me, and when I wrote about it, he said it never happened,” Carroll told jurors. “He lied, and it shattered my reputation.”
Trump was present for Carroll’s testimony and his lacking courtroom decorum quickly drew the attention of her team – and prompted a stern warning from the judge, Lewis Kaplan.
“Mr Trump has been sitting at the back table and has been loudly saying things throughout Ms Carroll’s testimony,” Shawn Crowley, one of Carroll’s attorneys, said.
“It’s loud enough for us to hear it,” Crowley stated, so “I imagine it’s loud enough for the jury to hear it.”
Before proceedings resumed after the break, Kaplan warned: “I’m just going to ask Mr Trump to take special care to keep his voice down when conferring with counsel, so that the jury does not overhear.”
Trump did not abide Kaplan’s instruction.
“The defendant has been making statements again [that] we can hear at counsel table,” Crowley told the judge right before the lunch break.
“He said it is a ‘witch-hunt’, it really is a con-job.”
“Mr Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be forfeited, and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive, which is what has been reported to me, and if he disregards court orders,” Kaplan said.
“Mr Trump, I hope I don’t have to consider excluding you from the trial … I understand you are probably very eager for me to do that.”
“I would love it, I would love it,” Trump responded.
“I know you would, you just can’t control yourself in this circumstance, apparently,” Kaplan said.
This week’s proceedings are the second trial involving Carroll’s claims against Trump. When Carroll initially sued him in 2019, the civil suit involved his denials of her sexual assault allegation, which was made public when New York magazine excerpted her then-forthcoming book, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal.
Carroll couldn’t sue Trump over the sexual assault because her claim was barred by the statute of limitations. In 2022, New York state’s Adult Survivors Act provided adult victims of sexual misconduct a one-year window to file suit against alleged abusers for incidents outside this statute of limitations; Carroll did so.
That lawsuit went to trial this spring and in May, jurors found the former US president liable of sexual abuse and defamation, awarding her $5m in damages.
Judge Kaplan ruled the key facts in that case would be accepted as true in this second trial, so Trump cannot relitigate Carroll’s rape or defamation claim.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
