Trump Held Liable in Second E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case

The Wednesday decision means that a federal jury, in a trial scheduled for January, will focus solely on determining the amount of money Trump must pay as damages for making defamatory statements against Carroll.

In a pivotal development, a US federal judge has ruled that former US President Donald Trump is liable in the second defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll.

Despite the initial lawsuit being filed in 2019, Judge Lewis Kaplan allowed Carroll to include comments made by Trump at a US media town hall earlier this year as part of her case. Additionally, the judge rejected Trump's argument for capping any future damages, as Carroll seeks over $10 million in compensation.

"The truth or falsity of Mr Trump’s 2019 statements therefore depends – like the truth or falsity of his 2022 statement – on whether Ms Carroll lied about Mr Trump sexually assaulting her. The jury’s finding that she did not therefore is binding in this case and precludes Mr Trump from contesting the falsity of his 2019 statements," stated the judge.

Kaplan ruled that the jury's verdict from the previous case will apply to the defamation lawsuit set for January, effectively preventing Trump from contesting his 2019 statements. The trial will now focus exclusively on determining the damages owed to Carroll.

Carroll, a former magazine columnist, accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store during the mid-1990s and subsequently defaming her by publicly denying her allegations.

Earlier this year, a jury found Trump both sexually abused Carroll and defamed her when he made statements in 2022 denying the assault and claiming not to know her.

Donald Trump, who maintains his innocence, has appealed the previous jury's verdict and all rulings against him, setting the stage for a significant legal battle ahead.